Times change
by justahungariangirl
Summary: 24yearold Harry and Hermione were fighting in the 2nd war against Voldemort. Powerful,but exhausted because of the constant danger and hiding,they seem to fight a lost war. That is,until thanks to a messed up potion they go on a vacation...to 1992 HHr OOC
1. How we got here

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the HP series. **

**Summary: Suddenly, as a result of a potion accident, Harry and Hermione find themselves… in the exact same place they started from? Not likely…**

**The story includes for sure: H/Hr pairing**

**Sometime later I may put in: talk about torture, Superpower and Slightly Dark Harry on the light side and Hermione may be a little hardened by the war.**

**Rating: T but it may become M sometime later on.**

**This is my first HP and English fanfiction ever, even though I've written a few stories in Hungarian. This plot has been bugging me for over a year now and I've finally decided to give it a go. I hope you'll like it. I want to apologize in advance for any spelling or grammatical mistakes. I'll try to update gradually, but please do not urge me 'cause it annoys the hell out of me. Now, on with the story.**

-.-.-

**How we got here**

A thin brunette hurried towards the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, or what remained of it. The war, Voldemort and his Death Eaters destroyed most of it and now it was deserted, except for the brunette in her middle 20's and her best friend, the Boy-Who-Lived.

They were almost the only survivors of the Order of the Phoenix and today was the day. The day when they were planning on destroying Voldemort for eternity or die like most of their friends did.

Ron, and the alive part of his family, along with Luna Lovegood (soon-to-be-Weasley) were hiding in a safe place far from Hogwarts. Remus Lupin was on a mission, along with his wife, in the US. Or so they thought. In reality, Harry Potter sent them away, away from everything. The only one staying with him was is best friend and wife of two years, Hermione Jane Granger Potter, the brunette, with no longer bushy hair, was too stubborn to agree and leave her husband willingly. And she could not be fooled as the rest of the Order was.

She was running like her life depended on it. And it did. Harry was brewing the potion to destroy all the Horcruxes. They checked and double checked everything in the dusty potions book before starting the potion. The only thing they didn't find was the instructions added to the very end of the book: do not brew the potions anytime near the full moon. Why not? Who knows…? Just don't do it. And it was the exact thing Harry was doing right then, that night was the night of the Full Moon.

Hermione ran down the stairs and almost missed the entrance of the Great Hall. As she burst into the Hall, she saw Harry adding the last ingredient of the poison. The poison that was just as bad, if not worse, as the Dementors' Kiss. It destroyed the soul if drank and the worst thing about it was that it caused almost unbearable pain to the poisoned one. Pain beyond imagination. But it didn't kill. Not the body, anyway.

"Harry, no!" – screamed Hermione running towards her other half, but it was too late. The moment the component touched the surface of the potion it exploded, blinding both occupant of the Hall.

Hermione groaned as she sat up wand at hand ready for an attack that didn't come. She heard a loud noise next to her, informing her about the arrival of Harry. As she got up and looked around, she saw that they were still at the Great Hall, a sigh of relief was about to escape her mouth when she found herself face-to-face with none other than Albus Dumbledore, with his wand pointed right at her heart…

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**This was the first chapter, I know it was short but I still hope you've enjoyed it and first of all understood it. And don't get me wrong, I was just talking about my English. I hope it is clear. Please leave me a review and let me know whatever you liked or hated this chapter and if I should continue the story.**


	2. When

**Disclaimer: I sadly don't own the Harry Potter series, 'cause if I did, then it surely would be HHr!**

**I hope you'll like this chapter too. I'm so nervous about this, so please, leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter and I hope you'll like this one too. I want to state it in advance, that I won't update daily, most likely in the weekend, I just had the time today.**

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my first ever reviewer, Zillac.**

-.-.-

**When**

"Oh, fuck," Hermione heard Harry cursing next to her. She allowed herself a glance to where she suspected Harry being and found her husband looking straight into Dumbledore's eyes, obviously trying to figure out what had happened and where they landed. 'Or, when, to be exact' thought Hermione bitterly, but before she had the chance to look around, she heard Dumbledore talking:

…

"And tell me, how can I help you, Mr…?" asked the old headmaster in a voice that suggested he'd rather ask 'What the fucking hell are you doing in my school?' If a) there weren't this much students around and b) if he wasn't such a gentleman type. As Harry seemed too occupied with watching someone in the Hall, I've chosen to answer with a question:

"When?" rather stupid, I know, but oh well! My dead headmaster was pointing his wand at me, for God's shake! You can't expect me to answer calmly 'Maybe you don't know us, seeing there is a possibility that we haven't even been born yet, but I'm Hermione Potter, the wife of Harry Potter, the first one to survive the killing curse. You know, we were about to cook the soul fragments of Voldemort, but our soul killing potion went wrong and now we are here in the past. Oh! And how do I know that it is the past and not the future? It is easy, you're dead.' Yeah, it surely would have left an impression. So instead I asked a question.

"Excuse me?" I heard Dumbledore's polite answer. Even though he was asking calmly, I still have noticed the growing frustration in his voice. I wasn't the best interrogator of the Order of the Phoenix for nothing. You have to know and recognize people's emotions easily and war teaches you that. To decide who you can and can not trust.

"I asked when. What's the date today?" I answered politely, perfectly hiding my concern and nervousness. War teaches you another thing: how to be completely emotionless. How to hide your feelings.

Ron once asked Harry and me if we were really together after a mission. We had to go to a nightclub, in disguise, that was a well-known meeting place of the Death Eaters. We went there like complete strangers and when, according to Ron, a female Death Eater started to flirt Harry and he let her, I watched it without any emotion on my face. Ron said after this particular mission, that if it were Luna and him then that whore would be dead by now. To this, we only looked at him strangely, went to bed and made love that night.

Yeah. War hardens people. And not just inside, but outside too. Sometimes, when Hermione looked into a mirror she couldn't believe her eyes. She was only twenty-four, but still, she looked like she was thirty. The war hardened her features, not just hers, but Harry's too. Gone were the once so young and innocent faces. On Harry's left cheek a deep cut could be seen that will never heal completely due to the poison on the knife which he were cut with. And that was only one of his cuts. He was tall, almost two meters, tall, and muscled. The only thing that didn't change about him was his messy dark hair and emerald green eyes.

"You just appear from nowhere right into my school, so excuse me, but I think _you _don't have any right to ask questions here."

"I have only this question then you do whatever you want." I could barely contain my anger, but surprisingly it wasn't Dumbledore who answered my question.

"1993." I heard Harry answer, his voice barely above a whisper, but still, the whole Hall heard his answer.

That was the moment when I looked up to see where Harry was looking, and I saw none other than our ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin, sitting at the teachers' table, staring at us with curiosity evident in his eyes. It took me a few moments to register, that if Remus was here, then….

"Now, that the date is settled, would you tell me who you are?" asked a definitely annoyed Albus Dumbledore.

"There's no need to worry professor, we wish no harm to your school or students." I heard the cold voice of my husband as he pulled the left sleeve of his cloak up showing his bare arm, motioning me to do the same.

"If you are telling the truth, then what are you doing here, how did you come here, and most importantly, who you are?" inquired the old Headmaster, obviously calmer.

"We don't know what happened exactly yet, but we were brewing a potion, it exploded and we found ourselves here. You know the rest," I thought it was the best if we didn't tell him everything, so I left out what the potion was for.

"As for whom we are, I guess you know us quite well. My name is Harry Potter and the lady over there is Hermione Granger," after this statement deadly silence fell on the Great Hall.

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**A/N.: I hope you liked this chapter, leave me a review and let me know what you think?**

**And could someone tell me what's a Mary Sue is? And who's a Beta? Thanks.**


	3. Conversations

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot of this story. Sadly...**

**I hope you will like this chapter, but before reading this, please read this author's not 'cause it's important.**

**First of all, I want to thank everyone who reviewed, those reviews made my day!**

**Some of you wondered why Dumbledore didn't recognize them at once. Well, only because you wouldn't expect your 3rd year students suddenly appear on the floor of the Great Hall, in their 24 year old selves.**

**I'm sure you've noticed that Harry introduced Hermione as Hermione Granger instead of Hermione Granger-Potter. Well, that was only because they are not going to tell everything about the future. Or not willingly, anyway. And this is the answer to some of you, who have stated that you don't go back to the past and simply state that you are from the future. **

**I've changed the year from 1994 to 1993 in chapter 2 'cause some of you stated that their 3rd year was in 1993-1994 instead of 1994-1995, and after a little calculation I had to agree.**

**Someone told me that Hermione's middle name was Jane, so I've changed that too in the 1st chapter.**

**Now, onto the story!**

**-.-.-**

**Conversations**

"Excuse me?" asked Dumbledore, wondering if he could believe his own ears or not. Then slowly the whispering started, very silently, at first but it slowly became shouting, everyone asking if they heard right. "Did he say Harry Potter?" "He must be kidding! That woman can't be Hermione Granger. She's too beautiful" etc.

"Silence!" shouted Dumbledore, his voice strong, but Hermione still could hear the shock from it. "Please follow me to my office. Now." His voice was still calm, but commanding at the same time. Hermione looked into her husband's eyes and could tell right away that he had no desire to explain everything, but eventually they followed the older man out of the Hall (glancing towards the Gryffindor table, looking for a certain someone, or three, to be exact), up the stairs, and to Dumbledore's office. When they arrived, he gestured them to sit down and he sat down behind his desk and suddenly looked very old and tired.

"Explain." he simply said without his grandfatherly stile which Hermione was so used to, even eight years after his death. Hermione locked eyes with Harry once again silently asking him what to tell their aged headmaster. As if answering her question, Harry started to speak:

"As we've already told you in the Great Hall, we had a potions accident and somehow found ourselves on the floor of the Great Hall of 1993. There's nothing else to tell, really."

'Yeah, nothing my ass.' thought Hermione, and one glance at Dumbledore told her that he didn't believe them either, even though he let the matter slip.

"And you are claiming to be two of my students from the future, right?" he asked skeptically, clearly not believing them.

"No, we are not claiming it. We are stating it, because we are." came the answer of a slightly irritated Harry. "Believe me when I say that we have as much desire to be here as you want us to. And that's not much, but until we figure out what had happened exactly and find a way to go back to our time, you are stuck with us."

"You seem to be a little bit arrogant, don't you? This is my school and you have no right to tell me what to or not to do. You know where the door is. Please leave now and I don't wish to see anymore of you." As Harry was about to leave, his wife got up from her chair, grabbed her husband's arm while half shouting, half stating a simple word meant as much for Dumbledore as for her husband as well:

"No. This is war and we don't need to have arguments between people on our sides. You both will stay at your seats and discuss this matter friendly. First of all, we are…" upon hearing the word _we _Hermione heard Harry groan but continued her speech as if nothing had happened "As I was saying before, _we_ are willing to take the Veritaserum to prove our point, in one condition: you only ask what you need to believe us, nothing about the future. Is it good enough for you, professor?" asked Hermione looking sharply at her former headmaster.

"There's no need to do it. I'm going to accept your word, for now, but remember, if I find anything suspicious, you will be out of here quicker than you can say the word Quidditch. Am I clear?"

"Perfectly clear." It seemed that Harry decided to stick with his so called "leader voice", developed with eight years of hard work. 'After the death of Dumbledore the reality of war came crashing down onto us, especially Harry. Of course we were aware of the war, the sacrifices, the victims, but that was the worst point of the war. For us, anyway. The Order of the Phoenix was without a leader, lost its only spy (even though we found out eventually, too late, might I add, that Snape was following Dumbledore's orders all along) , Harry hid away from the world, from all of us, most people thought that our only hope died, or worse, joined Voldemort. That was a dark time, the darkest of those eight years. A lot of people on the light side committed suicide after the disappearance of Harry or after the death of their loved ones.

We tried, and tried to find Harry, sent him letters, but no answer came. After a year we started to give up our hope, but someday, out of the blue he came back. He was dark and changed. He wasn't the boy I used to know. Something happened to him along that year that changed him drastically. He is still recovering, trying to find his old self, but I think some part of him will be forever dead, dead with Dumbledore, his parents, Sirius and so many more,' thought Hermione

"You'll be staying on the forth floor. Miss Granger, your room is behind the portrait of Loch Ness, the password is Nessie and Mr. Potter's behind the portrait of the Hungarian Horntail, and your password is Golden Egg. You will be eating breakfast at the Great Hall with the rest of the castle. I trust you know your way around. Good night." With that he signaled the end of the conversation and continued doing what he had to.

The two time travelers went all the way to their rooms in complete silence, until they arrived to their destination. Like a silent agreement they headed for the portrait of the Hungarian Horntail. After changing the password to Moldy-Voldy, they went in, sat down on the couch right in front of the fire and sat in silence for a long time, until Hermione decided to break the silence.

"Well, it could have been worse."

"Yeah? And how? He doesn't trust us and that's just as bad as being in a room with a Dementor and without a wand." Said Harry.

"But he let us stay. And that means he _does _trust us, even if just a little bit."

"No, that means he wants us here, right in front of his nose. Of course, he doesn't know that we could beat him in a heartbeat."

"Or you can, anyway."

"Don't be so pessimist. You are strong. Stronger than ever." Hermione heard Harry say. When Harry returned from his one-year absence he had powers, powers that no human should have. Of course, he needed them to defeat Voldemort, but still. Wandless and silent magic was just a few of those powers. He read more books in that one year than Hermione in her whole life, and that's something.

"We have to agree on the things we tell and don't tell them, you know." said Hermione, instead of telling him what she was thinking about the whole her-defeating-Dumbledore thing.

"I know, but why? Why did we have to travel back to this year? Why!? I mean we could save everyone. Everyone! But no, we have to shut our mouths and let them die. Is it fair? Tell me, is it?" He asked, finally letting go all of his frustration. "Why do I have to be the one who sacrifices everything? "He only allowed himself to be like this when he was alone with his wife, the only one who he trusted with his life and secrets. The only one who, he knew, wouldn't judge him, just try to help him.

"You don't have to. But you are like this. Always the hero." said Hermione sitting right next to Harry, pulling her husband closer "You have to learn how to be selfish, even just a little bit. Look, why don't we stop this conversation now and go to bed? We will have more than enough time in the morning. We both need some sleep. Okay?"

"Alright." agreed Harry with a sigh, letting his wife to lead him towards 'his' bedroom. As he was about to let her in first, she just shook her head no.

"You know that I have to go to 'my' room. Dumbledore isn't stupid and I would be willing to bet that he is watching us somehow. So, for now, until we find out how to avoid him, we have to sleep separately. So good night," she kissed her husband goodnight and left the room without looking back, as she knew, she would only find the closed door of her husband.

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**I hope you have liked this chapter and please leave me a review telling me your opinion.**

**I'm looking for a beta! Please, if you want to be the beta of this story send me an e-mail.**

**And any ideas for adventures or any other things are welcomed!**

**Thanks for reading:**


	4. Remus Lupin and other stuff

**Disclaimer: still only a fanfiction writer, doesn't own anything, and don't get anything.**

**Here is the 4th chapter of my first story and I hope you'll like this.**

**I've changed the ending of the 3rd chapter 'cause one of my reviewers made me realize that it would be suspicious if the slept in the same room, so I owe a thank you to Madm5 for it, so here it is: Thank you!**

**For those who read the 3rd chapter with Hermione going to her own bedroom: please forget the paragraph above.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed or read the story! Please keep reading and reviewing!**

**-.-.-**

**Remus Lupin and other stuff**

It was 6 o'clock in the morning and Hermione Potter was heading for the Lake, lost in her thoughts, not noticing her husband, who was watching her from the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He woke up an hour ago and was only waiting for his wife to come down. He had expected her as they still did their usual morning laps around the lake. Usually it was him who slept longer, but not this time.

Yesterday, after Hermione left, Harry lay in his bed awake, thinking about his past. His third year and the year when he went missing. It was a hell of a year. Most thought he was dead and maybe they were right. He had died for the world, for everyone. On his seventeenth birthday he got a strange letter telling him to be outside at midnight and to leave everything, even his wand in his room. First, he was suspicious that it was one of the stupidest tricks of Voldemort, but he decided to go and as the letter asked him. He didn't, and still doesn't, have a clue why he did what he did that night, trusting the letter. But he did, and even though his life was hell from that moment, through the year, he was sure he did the right thing.

The training was no fun, especially the first few weeks. His masters made him fight through day and night, not letting him any moment to rest. They expected him to fight without a wand, wanting him to let his hidden powers come to the surface, to learn fighting like a muggle without any previous training.

FLASHBACK

"Get up and try to fight like a man!" shouted the man under the hood coming towards Harry without stopping and hitting him hard on the face as he was trying to get up from the ground he fell onto. "Try to use your instincts, boy. Do you think you have them for nothing? Get a grip on yourself and fight!" and he hit him again and again until he angered the boy so much, that he, while his master was coming towards him, kicked him hard on the leg, winning some time to get up. Harry stared at the man, his green eyes so intense that they scared even the man and that was saying something.

Harry started to fight with so much force, that in the end, he almost beat the man because he wasn't expecting such power in the boy. But after a few minutes Harry was again on the ground, left alone in the storm, bleeding, and the last words of his master echoing in his ears: "Never fight angrily because it could be your last fight. Be thankful that I'm not your enemy, because if I were, then you would be dead by now, boy"

END OF FLASHBACK

He was almost killed, but only almost. He did survive the year and was more powerful than he had ever been. No one knew about most of the things the training included, maybe Hermione knew the most, and that knowledge is still very little.

He waited a few minutes then followed his wife to the lake. Even though he was walking almost without a sound, Hermione still heard him, and not knowing who it was, turned around pointing her wand at him and only when she saw who it was, put the wand away.

When Harry approached her, he kissed her lightly on the lips and started to run towards the lake, Hermione following him closely. It was like an old game between them.

Harry had been training Hermione since his return, not wanting her to be unprepared for a possible attack. Of course her training was much less hard and painful as his was, but it is understandable.

That one year absence made Harry finally realize his feeling for his long-time best friend and he came back determined to save her from anything and everything. So far he was successful, but knew that it can't last forever. That was the reason of his training.

Just in a minute, Hermione was running right next to her husband, successfully keeping up with his pace.

After an hour of running they did their usual sit-ups and push-ups, and then decided that it was time to go back to their quarters to shower then go down for breakfast, as they knew that Dumbledore was expecting both of them down at the Great Hall.

Half an hour later, both fresh and in new clothes were heading for the Great Hall, both lost in their thoughts, wondering about what the day will bring them, both dreading and expecting the moment when they meet their past selves at the same time.

When they entered the Great Hall the only occupant of the hall was the headmaster himself, seemingly lost in his thoughts, but the time traveler knew that it was only a mask and he was very much aware of his surroundings and their arrival for breakfast. He looked up and motioned them to sit down at the teachers' table.

The moment thy sat down students started to come down for breakfast and all of them, without exception, stared at the pair at the Staff table, but they paid no attention to them and continued their breakfast, occasionally looking up or greeting some teachers, who were almost as shocked to see them there as the students were.

Finally, the three people who they were looking for all along arrived and every eye in the hall, except for Harry's and Hermione's, who continued to eat their breakfast, talking quietly, turned to them, waiting for their reactions.

As soon as they looked up at the teacher's table all three of them went rigid, staring at themselves and hearing Hermione say:

"I can't believe you really did that! I mean…" but they never found out what she was about to say, because that was the moment when they realized that they were being watched. Both looked up to see what the cause of the silence that fell onto the Hall.

When they saw their past selves staring at them, they only nodded as a greeting and went back to talking, completely ignoring the whispers.

After the accident at breakfast they decided to re-explore the castle, as most of it had been destroyed. After a few hours of wandering they found themselves right in front of the door that led to the DADA classroom. Remembering their first lesson with Remus Lupin both of them smiled and reached for the doorknob to get into the classroom.

They arrived right on time to see the boggart changing into a big spider in front of Ron who looked like he was ready to faint right then and there, but he managed to say to spell correctly in the end, successfully laughing in the face of his greatest fear.

They watched some of their ex-classmates struggle with their fears, until they saw who was the next, and watched as the professor jumped in front of him, letting the creature to take the shape of the full moon.

"You never told me why he did this. I know that it bothered you greatly and you asked him about it, didn't you?" whispered Hermione into the ears of her husband, waiting for his answer.

"Yeah, I did." Said Harry and seemed to be lost in his memories. Hermione patiently waited for his answer, but when it didn't come, she asked again:

"And…? What did he say?" Harry, coming out of his trance looked at the professor and answered without looking at Hermione:

"He thought that my greatest fear was Voldemort. And he didn't want him to appear in the class, scaring everyone."

In that moment Hermione understood the reason of his silence. He was remembering. Remembering the screams of his mother and the other ones, the ones that Voldemort killed. He still thought it was his fault. The war, the lost lives, the broken families, everything.

"You know that it's not your fault, don't you? No one blames you for the deaths." He didn't answer, only stared into the space and Hermione looked up on time to see Neville destroy the boggart-Snape.

"Okay, everyone, it was a good job, please take…" started Remus Lupin, but he hadn't gotten to the end of his sentence because that was the moment when he discovered the pair sitting in the back rows, and he wasn't the only one. All of the class looked up to see why the professor hadn't finished his sentence. Some, like Hermione Granger (the young one), discovered that they were sitting on the exact place where the trio usually does.

"Sorry. We didn't mean to interfere or anything, we just came upon this classroom and decided to watch the lesson, just observers this time." Apologized an older Hermione smiling and was about to get up and leave the classroom when she heard her former professor say:

"It's all right. Please, stay. I want to have a word with you two after class anyway. Class, take your seats and copy what's on the board. You can leave after you've done so." said the werewolf and after the class got over the initial sock, sat down and took notes. After the most of the class left there were only three more people left in the room, except for the professor and the two time travelers.

The thirteen-year-old Hermione was the first one who dared to speak:

"We want to stay here. These two people just appear from nowhere and claim to be us. I think we have every right to stay here." As Remus opened his mouth to answer the older Harry cut him off and replied himself:

"You're right. You have all the right to know what's going on here, but we have to talk with _Remus _about things that you have no knowledge about and should not have, at least until the end of this year. So meet us at 7 in the kitchens" while saying this he looked right at them and it seemed he was ready to murder anyone who dared to argue with him. His younger self was about to retort, but Ron, fearing the elder, was quicker.

"Um…okay. Just one question. Where are the kitchens?"

"Of course. You don't know yet. What about the Room of Requirement? No, you don't know about that either. Then be it." Hermione said with a sigh." The Gryffindor Tower after dinner."

The trio only nodded and left the room, leaving their teacher and the other two alone. As Hermione cast some strong silencing and locking spells Harry turned to his old professor, willing him to ask what he wanted to and urging him with only his eyes. Lupin's question was simple:

"How much do you know? I mean about…."

"I know what you mean. And we know much more than you know, at this point, Moony." Came the respond of the younger man.

"You just called me…" uttered a completely stunned Remus Lupin.

"Moony, yes. As he said before, we know more than you can imagine. But don't worry, you will find out those things soon enough" heard Remus the voice of Hermione Granger.

"If you don't have any more questions we would like to leave, because you will have a class to teach in five minutes and we'd like to do a few exercises before dinner," not waiting for the answer the two adult left the room, both thinking regretfully of the conversation.

"Do you think we were right? Behaving like that to him. He is like a second father to you and like an uncle to me."

"You know as well as I do, we can't afford making friends with him here. Maybe if the circumstances were different. But they aren't. I don't like this either. What would you say about going to the Room of Requirement? We have to agree on a few things." Asked Harry.

Hermione nodded and followed her husband silently, wondering what this travel had in store for them.

-.-.-

**So, this was it and I hope you've liked it. I had to finish it somewhere and I'm too tired right now to write more.**

**Please push that little purple button and leave me a review! **

**Consider this as a Christmas present from me! I hope it is a good one. So:**

**HAPPY XMAS EVERYONE!**

**And I'm still looking for a beta and any ideas for some adventures are still welcomed!**


	5. Past, Present and Future, it depends

**Disclaimer: The same stuff again: I only own the plot, nothing but the plot.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and please keep reading and reviewing.**

**To the people who are reading the story but aren't reviewing: Thanks for reading and please continue to do so, but please, leave me a review, just a short one telling me that you have read the chapter and if you liked it or not.**

**To Toodles: I would be really glad to have you as a beta. Please send me a massage with your e-mail address to discuss the details 'cause I have no clue how this beta thing works. Thanks.**

**Now, on with the story:**

**-.-.-**

**Past, Present and Future, it depends on the onlooker**

It was well past dinnertime and there was still no sign, neither from Harry, nor from Hermione.

The Trio was waiting in the Gryffindor common room doing their homework (in Hermione's case) and playing chess. Even though they looked calm for an outside viewer, truthfully they were very nervous.

Hermione was trying to read her book on Potions while Harry was thinking about the next move and trying for the millionth time to defeat Ron, and Ron…well, he was staring at the back of the portrait of the Fat Lady willing it to open.

Every time the portrait opened the trio would look up at once and continued to do whatever they were doing previously. Each of them wondering about the upcoming conversation or whatever it would occur at all. Once an hour one of the friends tried to start a conversation, but all of the efforts seemed useless.

When the clock chimed ten, and there were only about ten students sitting in the common room reading or playing by the dim light of the fire, the portrait hole suddenly opened and the two awaited figure showed up, looked around and after noticing the trio went to them and sat down on the couch facing them.

The remaining student of the room, mostly first years, quickly grabbed their things and hurried towards their dorms, too scared of the strangers, mostly Harry, to stay at the common room.

For almost five minutes both sides just stared at each other, daring the other to stay something.

In the end the Hermione of the future decided to break the silence:

"Sorry for coming so late, but we had had some very important things to do." said she with an apologetic smile, not taking her eyes off of the past herself.

It seemed that other than the last sentence no one had anything to say, or rather no one dared to. The trio of the present time was too afraid to say anything and the future duo thought it was better to let the younger ones start the conversation. That or they were simply lost in their thoughts.

It appeared that the younger Hermione was the savior of the night, as she asked the fist question, starting a discussion.

"How far from the future are you exactly from?" she inquired, startling all the occupants of the room from their thoughts.

"Eleven years." It looked like the elder Harry won't be the best partner for a conversation that night. As Hermione looked at her husband she saw instantly the reason too. He was again thinking about the past, the things he could change right then, just with only a few words. But he won't. Hermione put an assuring hand in the thigh of Harry which raised the eyebrow of her younger self but she remained silent, putting that tiny bit of information away in her mind for later.

"Look, we don't expect you to be friendly and all to us and I can understand, that this situation is really awkward to you, and believe me, it is for us too, but coming here wasn't our choice and we want to go back to our time just as badly as you want us to, but we have to put up with each other's company for quite some time, so accepting our presence would be good. Now, we came here to answer some of your questions, the ones we are allowed to, so ask, and if not, then we would like to leave, because we had a rather tiresome day." said the older one of the two Hermiones, letting herself to become angrier than she intended to.

In the end curiosity won over the fear and, surprisingly, Ron started to speak:

"Why are you _two _here? I mean I know that you don't know why you are here, it is just you are Harry and Hermione…"

"Well obviously," said a slightly amused Hermione as she started to have a clue what Ron was getting into.

"I mean, that…" started Ron again, not knowing to be scared or happy because of Hermione's seemingly happy mode.

"We know what you mean. And to answer your question you, or rather the Ron of our time had been…somewhere else." said Harry, obviously trying to hide the exact place of the future Ron.

On the first night of the arrival of the two "strangers" the trio had a long talk:

FLASHBACK

"Do you believe them?" asked a very tired and shocked Harry from his friends who were sitting with him at the far end of the Gryffindor common room, discussing the events of the Sorting, or rather the ones that happened in the middle of it.

At that moment Harry was tired and had enough. First he had found out that a convicted murderer, Sirius Black, wanted his hide and then came these two people claiming to be him and one of his best friends, Hermione, from the future.

'Oh yeah. Of course. Why not make Harry Potter suffer a little bit more. Send his future self back to his time, why not? It could be fun.' thought Harry bitterly.

"I think they are telling the truth." Said Hermione after a minute of silence,"And if they aren't, then Dumbledore will find it out, so I wouldn't worry about it."

"You wouldn't worry!?" exclaimed Harry "They are claiming to be us, and most likely form the future and you are telling me not to worry!?"

"And have you even looked at them, Hermione? They looked nothing like you two. You saw that scar on the guy who claims to be Harry? And that girl, no woman, she can't be you, I mean she is…." Started Ron but Hermione interrupted, almost shouting:

"She was what!? Go on, finish it, _Ronald_! Too beautiful, too feminine? Do you think I have no feelings!? Oh, no of course you don't think about others! I'm off to bed. Good night!" and with that she stormed away, towards the girls' dormitories.

"You've really done it this time, mate." said Harry and went to bed too, feeling too confused himself, to stay and continue the conversation.

END OF FLASHBACK

"It seems like we won't get from one to two, so what do you say if we tell you the things about our future that can't change it. I mean the way we got here. Feel free to interrupt, if you want to," offered Hermione, getting tired of the pointless sitting there in silence, so she offered to tell their story the third time in only two days' time.

"Where to start… First of all, you must know that the future is very different from this time. There is a war going on, I think it won't do any harm if I tell you this, you can't change the future with this little information. So, Harry was brewing a potion in the Great Hall and…" started Hermione, but her younger self interrupted almost instantly, trying to get as much information as she could.

"What kind of potion?"

"Now that we can't tell you. You will know it in the right time," said Harry this time. "Look, I'm not going to lie to you. I do not support this 'telling-you-almost-everything' thing at all. There are things that I would like to change, but I can't." said Harry darkly, visibly scaring all three members of the trio.

They looked at him in disbelief, neither of them recognizing the Harry they all knew so well. This Harry was distant and gave the impression of a powerful and dangerous man without feelings that weren't hate, anger and such. If they looked him in the eyes they found those unbelievably green eyes, now without glasses, dull and lifeless.

That was what scared the thirteen-year-old Hermione the most. She liked to think that she was the person who knew Harry the best in the world. It was enough for her to look into his eyes and she could read him like an open book. But this Harry…he seemed distraught and like he lost everything worth living for.

While her younger self was observing her Harry, the future Hermione was thinking, too. Even though she couldn't see the eyes of her husband she had a very good clue how he looked like.

After he returned from his training, his eyes always looked emotionless and he hid all of his emotions under his hard mask, not showing any of his feeling, not even to Hermione. Those days she was beyond worried and always tried to get to Harry, to get him to tell her what he went through, but he wouldn't.

After a month of this Hermione finally had enough and one night she went straight to Harry's room, blasting his locked door open, demanding answers, but what she saw there was beyond belief and made her speechless. Since his return none had been in the room of Harry Potter, he wouldn't let a soul in and in that moment Hermione Granger understood his reasons, too.

FLASHBACK

Hermione stood in the entrance of Harry's room, observing her surroundings. All of the curtains of the room had been closed and there was no light in the room at all, expect for that little light that came into the room from the doorway where Hermione was standing. There were no bed, to be precise nothing in the small room, except for Harry in the far corner of the room, seemingly in some kind of trance, not noticing Hermione in the doorway at all, but as she was about to go and sit next to Harry he looked up, his eyes tired with circles around them and he looked like he hadn't had any sleep for at least 4 days in a row, his clothes dirty and overused.

"Close the door," he managed to say, before Hermione got too close. After repairing the door and conjuring some candles to light the room Hermione closed the door and sat down next to Harry, waiting for him to say something. Anything.

She waited and waited, but he remained silent. She was about to give up, when she heard him whisper:

"Why are you here? What are you doing here?" he spoke so softly that she almost missed it, but only almost.

"What am _I _doing here, Harry!? What are _you_ doing here!? Look at yourself for God's sake! You smell and I bet you hadn't had any food for who knows how long! What happened to you? What happened to the Harry I once knew?" she almost shouted with tears in her eyes.

"He died, Hermione, and he isn't coming back, so you can leave now. And I can assure you that I am perfectly capable to look after myself, thank you very much." answered the boy, no, young man bitterly.

"You are telling me that you are able to look after yourself? Then let me tell you something, Harry James Potter. You may have been, once, but it looks like you can't anymore. So you will get up from here and go to the bathroom then eat something." Said Hermione with a voice that suggested she won't accept a no for answer.

He looked up at her and stared into her eyes and she was unable to look away. For a moment she thought she saw some feelings in those emerald eyes, but they disappeared as soon as they came and she couldn't identify them.

"Why are you doing this? You should be down with the others, celebrating." That day was the 20th anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Weasly's wedding. "Go down and celebrate with them and leave me alone." said Harry in a low, but demanding tone.

"I am here because I want to. And I want to help you. Look at yourself. What happened to you? What happened to Harry Potter, because this…this _thing_ before me is certainly not him. And I don't want to be happy and celebrate down with them. Not without you." whispered Hermione the last part of her little speech.

Harry looked up and she saw his questioning and slightly shocked look, the first real emotion since his return.

"I, you know… I mean… you are my friend and…" she had no opportunity to finish the sentence, as Harry suddenly got up and dashed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, leaving Hermione alone. She stared stunned at the spot where only a minute ago Harry was, but she hadn't had too much time to think, as Harry came back hastily, sat back onto the floor and without any further thought or word kissed Hermione on the lips.

END OF FLASHBACK

Hermione subconsciously smiled at the memory. Even though it wasn't their best or most passionate kiss it was still her favorite from all of them.

After that hour in his room Harry started to gain back his old self, but Hermione knew that the smiles and happiness were mostly only masks and it took months for her to recognize parts of her old friend. From that night they were a couple, even though only a selected few knew about them being an item.

Their relationship and their feeling for each other had been very deep from the start, even though it took month for Hermione to get Harry to show some of his feelings. They had known each other for almost eight years then, but in spite of this they started really slowly and it took almost two years to finally sleep together the first time. They married at twenty-two and had a happy and content marriage since then, despite what Ron said.

When she looked up again she found herself face to face with four curious faces, one of them her husband's one, but his face and smile (a real smile this time) told her, that he knew exactly what she had been thinking about. He turned away, but a small smile stayed on his face. To the others' questioning look she only answered with a shrug and said:

"Nothing, just an old memory."

"So, let me get this straight. You had a potions accident, you blew up the Great Hall and came here?" asked a quite bewildered Ron.

"Yeah, basically." answered Hermione, still wearing a smile on her face.

"And the time you're coming from, was it summer or some other holiday?" enquired a doubtful Harry.

"No, of course not. Why do you ask? It was September the 1st just like here." replied Hermione, not realizing her mistake until it was too late.

"Then please, tell me, why were you two brewing a potion in the middle of the Sorting?" asked the past Harry, obviously thinking he got the two time travelers that time, and maybe he was right.

"Let's just say that the Hogwarts of our time is very different from this one. It's no longer a school and if we can't go back soon enough, then it will never be either." Answered, to everyone's surprise, Harry, the older. The present time trio looked shocked, Hermione was ready to faint and the older one (I mean Hermione) sent a questioning look at Harry, asking why he told them this, but Harry, completely ignoring everyone, stood up and left the room without a word.

-.-.-

**Thanks for reading and please leave me a review telling me what you think.**

**I could have continued this chapter, but I thought that I'll put the opinion of the trio and what happens to the duo into the next chapter, maybe the reason they were late from the meeting, but not sure of the last one.**

**Thanks again and**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!**


	6. Silent Nights

**Disclaimer: All the characters and places are JKR's etc.**

**So, here is the 6th chapter of the story and I hope you'll like it.**

**Its half trem and the all the teachers seem to decided to torment us with mountains of tests, so please, be patient for the next chapter and I've got a little, cute(feel the sarcasm) writer's blcok whcih I seem to hev quite often, but I alwys seem to get over it.**

**So, enjoy the chapter!**

**Silent Nights**

The trio and Hermione stared at the back of the portrait where Harry disappeared.

"What did he mean by that? Not a school anymore…" said the younger Hermione, not believing her own ears.

"Just what he exactly said. There are things about our future that you 3 can't even begin to understand and this is one of them, but let me tell you something, something that I'm sure you've already guessed. The Harry who left this room was not like the Harry you all know, even though it's not entirely his fault. He changed a lot. We all did. Losing people close to use always leaves scars, even though the pain may ebb away with time, it will never disappear." Said the only occupant of the room who came from the future.

"Harry had to endure a lot of things, more than you can imagine right now and he is blaming himself for everything that had happened in the past, or the future for you and it hurts him that he is not able to tell you about those things and that he can't change it. He is blaming himself for all the deaths and happenings and has been doing so for more years than I care to count." and He is blaming himself, had been doing so for more years than I care to count.""with a quick apology and a good night she followed her husband.

"Well…that was informative" said Ron, staring at the place where just a few minutes ago the future selves of his best friends were sitting.

"Informative" said the younger Hermione, taking in the word. "You, Ronald Weasly call this informative. It's no wonder that you are not the best student. This was unbelievably _not_ informative. More like an awkward dancing around the subject, trying to tell as little as possible without letting it show. You saw them too. It's scary."

And that was the exact thoughts of the others too. Very frightening. The way they had been acting. Especially Harry, the older.

"A war going on. They said there was a war going on in the future. Do you think…Do you think that's why they were so different?" wondered Ron.

"Yeah, maybe. But what kind of war? It seemed that it was a very bloody war, even worse than the one when You-Know-Who was alive. It can't be that bad, can it?" asked Hermione, showing how naïve she really was.

"You saw _him._" Said Harry, who has been strangely quiet, clearly referring to the future himself. "That...that man was nothing like me. Hell, he was worse then Snape! If there were a competition that tried to decide which of them is the sourer that someone who's claiming to be the future me would won the first prize on his happiest day!"

"Oh, come on, ha wasn't _that _bad" said Hermione trying to hide the obvious, that Harry, her Harry was right. Even she couldn't believe her own eyes and it was scaring her and look in Harry's eyes told her that he didn't believe her either.

"You know, Hermione, you, I mean the future you was different too, but in a good way." Continued Harry, trying to ease the tension that his future self caused.

Hermione looked up curiously and asked:

"What do you mean by _in a good way_? Don't you like the way I am now? 'Cause none forces you to be my friend if you don't like me the way I am." Of course Hermione knew that Harry didn't mean what he said in that way and never intended to hurt her, but she was edgy and seemed to overreact everything that night. The future Harry and Hermione not only scared her but made her think about the future and the horrible things they seemed to have to see and live through.

Harry knew that Hermione didn't expect an answer, for he was aware that Hermione wasn't angry at him, she was only frustrated and hated the lack of knowledge and information.

All three of them were very confused and not just because of all the secrets the two time traveller seemed to hold. All of them (even Ron with his emotional level being one of a teacup) saw that there was something between the future Harry and Hermione, something that they couldn't quite put their hands on, but it was still there. A silent understanding.

Even though all of them saw and felt it they didn't say anything about it.

"I guess I'm off to bed. I need some alone time to think. See you tomorrow morning. 'Night." Said Harry and with that left the common room.

"I'm going too. Good night." Ron heard Hermione say.

"Go on. I have a letter to write to mum." Answered the boy, however, unknown to his best friend he was lying. He needed to think about the happenings of the night.

'I just don't understand' he thought. 'We are supposed to be best friends, right? But they are here without me. Could it be that we are not friends anymore in the future? What if I'm dead? No, it can't be. Neither of them seemed upset or angry when I asked about me? Or did they? No definitely not. Then what…?'

"Argh!" he shouted in frustration. "It won't do me any good if I stay up all night thinking about things I can't and won't understand for quite some time." With that, ha collected his chessboard and chess pieces and left the room, leaving it dark and silent behind him.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

After Hermione left the common room she ran all the way to their sleeping quarters and after uttering the password of the portrait of her husband climbed through his portrait hole, finding no one at all in the living quarters of Harry, not that she expected anyone.

After Harry returned form his training and they decided to make Hogwarts their headquarters (as it had closed its gates after the death of its headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, it was still safer than most places in the world) and before the attack on their beloved school that destroyed almost all of it Harry used to go up to the tower from where they rescued Sirius and Buckbeak in their 3rd year with the aid of Hermione's timeturner.

Hermione didn't meet a soul on her way to the tower, which had been her husband's favourite place until the fatal attack.

As she suspected she found Harry on the balcony of the tower, staring into the space, seemingly lost in his thoughts, but as Hermione lightly touched his shoulder he showed no sign of surprise.

"It still hurts, you know. His death. And every single souls' who died because of me." He whispered as Hermione approached him, hugged him and rested her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. She didn't have to ask whose death he was talking about. She already knew it. They had gone through this conversation countless times in the past.

"It's not your fault. They died for something they believed in"

To this, Harry looked down at her and smiled one of those rare, but true smiles. The ones that always warmed Hermione's heart. This was like a tradition for them. Whenever Harry would be upset he would come up here, Hermione would come after him, hug him and then they would kiss, but unfortunately, due to mentioned circumstances they hadn't had the opportunity to do this for a long time now.

So when Harry leaned in to kiss his wife Hermione was expecting him and happily responded to his kiss, moaning into his mouth as he licked her bottom lip, asking for entrance. As they were kissing Harry's hands found their way under the T-shirt Hermione was wearing under her robe.

After a few minutes of passionate kissing Harry broke the kiss, but not the contact he had with Hermione's bare skin.

"We should go back to our rooms, don't you think? It's getting colder and you don't want to catch a bad cold, do you?" asked Harry, though his eyes were more alive then ever with love and lust, reminding Hermione of the old Harry.

They made their way towards their portraits silently, leaving some distance between them as they knew that if they touched each other there would be a great possibility of them never making to one of their bedrooms.

The moment they reached the entrance of Hermione's rooms they said the password in unison. The portrait barely closed behind them, but Harry had Hermione pinned to the wall, passionately kissing her mouth, then her neck, while his wife was struggling with the buttons of his shirt.

Clothes went flying in the room, until Harry decided that it was time to take their actions to a more comfortable place and with one hand he held Hermione, not taking his mouth off of her. He opened the door of her bedroom with his free hand and closed it with the same one, giving them some privacy and the pleasure they have been wishing for for months.

**So, this was it and I know that nothing much happened, but please, send me a review and keep reading!**

**I need some help. Someone please tell me the chronological order of the following events:**

**-Snape teaching the class abut the werewolves**

**-Sirius with a knife in the Gryffindor tower**

**-Harry findin out about Sirius being his godfateher and the crimes he had been inprisoned for**

**-The Quiddics match where Harry fell off of his broom thanks to the Dementors**

**-Hagrid's lesson with Buckbeak**

**-Fred and George giving Harry the map**

**-Harry's talk with Lupin about the boggart lesson**


	7. An encounter with the good badguy

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything...blah...blah...blah.**

**I'm soooooooooooooo sorry for the lon wait! I know it's been more than a month, but it wasn't completely my fault, bit I don't want to blame all of it on other people, let's just say, that there was a little beta "confusion" which is solved now.**

**I would like to deciate this chapter to my beta, x-Xanti-x who betad this for me in less than a day! Thank you so much!**

**Now, on with the story!**

**An encounter with the ood badguy**

Time went by quickly, most of the student almost have totally forgotten about the time travellers and the first shock of them being there slowly disappeared, mostly because the older Harry and Hermione decided to stay in their quarters for most of the time, not even going down for the meals.

It was soon time for the first Hogsmeade weekend and the younger Harry was not happy at all. Of course he pretended to be, but he failed miserably. Hermione and Ron even offered to stay with him in the castle. Harry wanted desperately to accept their suggestion, but he couldn't, so he continued to pretend that he was all right and let his friends go, smiling until they disappeared form his sight.

As he wandered the hallways of Hogwarts, he was thinking about Hogsmeade and his friends, wishing he could be with them. He was completely oblivious to the outside world as he was walking, he only snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Professor Lupin call after him.

He turned around and found his professor in the corridor, before an opened door, which, Harry assumed, was his office.

"I was just about to make a tea. Would you care to join me?" asked the professor smiling at him. He could only nod as he followed his professor into his room.

While they were waiting for the tea to be ready they talked about a lot of things and Harry was relieved to find out that the professor did not think of him as a weak person at all when the not-so-old man told Harry his reasoning for stopping the young one fight against the boggart.

As they were slowly drinking the hot tea, the topic slowly got to the feast at the beginning of the year and the mysterious arrival of the most unexpected people.

"It seems they don't like talking that much. Or showing themselves in public, for that matter." said Lupin, taking a sip from his cup. Harry laughed out at this point and told the professor about his encounter with the two.

"Hermione is all right. I mean the older one, but that man…not Harry, 'cause he's nothing like me. He is not completely sane." said Harry.

"Don't judge from so little," lectured Remus, "you don't know what he went through and believe it or not, he is just like you in many ways. I watch him carefully when they decide to show themselves. Even though he tries to hide it, he has his moments when he is just like you, like teasing Hermione, or smiling at her. These are little things, but they show that he is still a human being with feelings. And his Hermione constantly tries to make that Harry come out. The one who is so much like you." Said the elder one.

"You know, sometimes you are so much like your father. In more then one way." said Lupin, taking the student by surprise.

"You knew my parents?" whispered the younger one.

"Yeah, I did. Once." answered the professor, obviously slipping into some old memories. Harry seeing this, and the sad look on his teacher's face, decided to let the matter slip.

'For now, at least', he thought.

Harry was about to ask another question about the opinion of his professor on the two time travellers when Snape came out of the fireplace with a cup in his hand. Harry saw it more convenient to leave, so he thanked the tea and left the two professors on their own, thinking about his conversation with Lupin and the more then suspicious potion in Snape's hand, but decided to leave that piece of information for later, when he could discuss it with his friends.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

Harry Potter was not a happy man. Ever since he had arrived in the past he had been trying to find his godfather, having no success at all.

"I can't believe it!" He shouted in frustration, circling the room, trying to find out what was wrong with him, but he couldn't find a thing. Hermione had been watching him for the last hour and was getting tired of doing nothing.

She was surprised too, as they had no problem with tracking anyone, except for Voldemort in the last few years. She tried to find a reason for their lack of success, too, but had no more luck than her husband.

"It makes no sense at all. One time he is somewhere and in the next at someplace completely different. As far as we know he should be somewhere around here." said Hermione after a while. "Maybe it's some kind of a spell neither of us know? Is it possible for him to use the same spell you and Voldemort use?"

It was a complicate spell Harry picked up sometime around his training. He hadn't talked about it much, but from the little information Hermione was able to get out of him, the spell basically hid one's magical signature, preventing others to find him or her. The only problem with it was that you had to be very powerful to be able to maintain it, as it took a lot of energy and concentration to keep it up every time, even while sleeping.

"Nope. Even though Sirius was a very powerful man, he hadn't had enough power to maintain it. And even if he did, it wouldn't be possible for him, or anyone for that matter, to send his signal to different parts of the world." said Harry, taking the role of Hermione as the know-it-all for a minute.

"You know, it's Halloween." started Hermione, deciding to change the subject for the moment.

"Yeah, and…?" asked Harry not sounding interested at all.

"And!? It's Halloween for God's sake! You know, big feast and all. Ring a bell?"

"Yeah, big feasts, happy people, parents dying, the Triwizard Tournament and the list goes on. Nothing happy has ever happened to me at Halloween. This year won't be an exception." said Harry bitterly.

"Nothing good!? You remember first year, right? A big troll in the girls' bathroom, saving a bushy hared girl and becoming friends with her. This is an unpleasant memory for you?"

"No. Of course no…" started the man, but his wife interrupted him.

"Or the church, the same bushy hared girl in a white dress? I can't believe you forgot about it!" shouted Hermione, completely losing it.

Of course she loved her husband more than anything in the world, but sometimes she simply had enough. Deep down she knew that he did not forget about their anniversary at all. She was angry with herself for being so selfish, when people out there, in their own time, were dying, angry with Harry for playing the part of the martyr, but most of all angry with the world for expecting Harry to be the one, for making his childhood a living hell and for transforming him into the man he was now, barely showing any emotions, withdrawn and thinking he didn't deserve happiness.

"I'm sorry." Started Harry but Hermione cut him off.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted at you like that. It's just so maddening sometimes. You having the burden of saving the world on your shoulders and I'm just too selfish. I want all of you just for myself and I'm afraid of losing you, too." said the young woman, sitting down on the couch and letting her tears escape.

She felt the familiar arms of her husband snake around her as he sat down next to her, whispering calming words into her ear. He slowly turned her face towards is own and gently kissed the still sobbing girl.

After a few minutes of kissing, when oxygen started to be a need they pulled away, but stayed close to each other, foreheads touching.

"And I'm sorry for being an arse to you and for ignoring you most of the time. I know that you're just trying to help me and you've helped me more than you know since I came back, but it's just so hard sometimes after…after everything." Finished the man who had no time to be a child.

"Tell me about it. It would be so much easier if you told someone about it. The things that happened to you there. Wherever you were." said Hermione.

"I…." started Harry when they heard a knock from the entrance of their common room. As Harry stood up to open the door Hermione rearranged herself, quickly wiping her tears away from her face.

When Harry opened the door he came face to face with none other than his old head of house, Professor Minerva McGonagall.

"What do you want?" asked Harry quickly going back into his don't-mess-with-me mode.

"I just wanted to ask if we should expect you at the Great Hall for the feast tonight." Answered the old lady, obviously not happy with her old student's attitude towards her.

At the exact moment Harry said 'no', Hermione replied with a 'yes'. The old professor looked back and forth between the two, wondering which one of them to believe.

"We'll be there, Minerva, don't worry." said Hermione at last, receiving a death glare from her husband, to which she only replied with a sweet smile.

"Then see you at the feast" said McGonagall, obviously in hurry to leave the two alone.

When the older professor left, Harry turned back to his wife angrily. He waited a few minutes and calmed himself down before asking:

"Why did you say yes? I thought we agreed on keeping a low profile and on staying as far away from the students and teachers of the school as humanly possible."

"No. You were the one agreeing on it. You left me no place to argue. It's our anniversary today and I'm not planning on spending it with you not even paying attention to me. Every single year we failed to celebrate it because Voldemort always decided to do something right on Halloween. I refuse, you hear me? Refuse to spend this evening looking for his bloody soul pieces. Here we have the opportunity to rest a little, away from the war and everything and I'm planning on making this time, as short as it may be, useful. You do whatever you want, but I'll be there." And with that, she left for her own living quarters, leaving a stunned Harry behind her.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

It was almost 7 o'clock, the feast was bound to start in just a few minutes, but Harry still sat on his bed, eyeing his dress robe. Or rather the best robe of his. The truth was that he only had two dark green robes to wear. All the others were black. After his training, he preferred his black jeans and T-shirt. Rather dark and scared the shit out of people. When he told these reasons behind the black to Hermione she said he acted childish and she would have been right if those had been the real reasons. But they weren't.

He just couldn't bring himself to tell the truth to Hermione. He never lied to her. Only left out some things. Like the time when he was sent to kill some or another muggle. It was part of his training. To kill, to take another's life without hesitation or regret. He told her about his training with weapons and in wandless magic and some other, not really important things. But he left out a great deal of that torture.

The endless hours of torture with muggle and wizard weapons too. Or his weeks closed in a dark room with two Dementors, no less. No. She didn't need to know about it. Not yet, not ever.

Now he was debating whatever to go or not to go to the feast. When Hogwarts was a school, he always loved those feasts, but so much changed ever since.

In the end he decided that Hermione wanted him to go, so he would go, it was their anniversary after all.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

The feast was about to start and Hermione sat alone at Gryffindor table. Even though Prof. Dumbledore offered her a place at the staff table she didn't feel like chatting with her old professors. After their argument she was hoping that Harry would show up, but after 4 hours of waiting she gave up hope.

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"What do you think? Why is she sitting there all alone?" asked Hermione to Ron and Harry, looking in the direction of the future herself. "She seems sad. Shouldn't we go over there and…I don't know…Just talk to her?"

"Well, if you want, we can…" started Harry but couldn't finish his sentence as the doors of the hall opened and a 24-year-old Harry strode into it, looking for something, or rather, someone.

After a minute his eyes rested on a lone figure at the end of the Gryffindor table. When he spotted the figure and their eyes locked the older Harry did something that only 4 people had seen him do since they arrived: smiled, and Hermione smiled back.

He went towards the woman, sat down next to her, and leaned in to give her a kiss. Or so it seemed, as he, in the last moment missed her lips and cheeks completely and whispered something into her ear.

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When the doors of the hall burst open and Hermione looked up she was surprised to see Harry standing there, and in his green robes, no less. For a minute she was terrified that maybe Harry has forgotten where they were, as he was about to kiss her, but in the last moment he seemed to come to his senses and pretended to whisper something into her ears.

After the initial shock of the appearance of the time travellers the feast started and continued with the usual chatting and laughing of the students and staff, up until there was a sudden shout from the Gryffindor table, which seemed to come from the general direction of the two 24-year-old people. Every single eye in the hall turned towards them, but they seemed oblivious to anyone other than each other.

"I can't believe we have forgotten about it!" said Hermione a little too loudly. "It's Halloween, of course!" continued the girl.

"It's high time she noticed," came a whisper from the Slytherin table, but the older Hermione didn't even bother to look up to find who had said it; she suddenly got up from her chair along with her husband. Without another word they left the hall in hurry, leaving the whole school confused.

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The two hastily went up the stairs and ran all the way to the portrait of the Fat Lady, arriving right on time to see a black dog disappear around the corner of the hallway. They quickly followed the dog, not even looking at the shredded portrait of the Fat Lady.

After a good ten minutes, they reached the Entrance Hall and both were relieved to find the doors of the great Hall closed, so no one noticed them leaving the castle. They knew that Sirius would leave the castle in another and longer way because he wouldn't want to risk the possibility of being seen.

They decided to wait for the animagus at the Shrieking Sack, as they were very well aware of him hiding there.

They disappeared right on time to avoid being seen by the big, grim-looking dog. They ran all the way to the Shrieking Sack, not daring to utter a word in fear of being heard.

Not long after they arrived, they heard the footsteps of someone, or rather something. The moment the dog came into view from the trap door, Harry got him from behind and held him steadily.

"Well, well, well. Aren't you a cute grim?" said Hermione with an evil grin evident on her face, looking right into the fearful eyes of the dog.

"Look, what we have here, Hermione. Sirius Black, the one and only Padfoot afraid of his own godson." at this the dog stopped his struggle to free himself and turned his head around just to come face-to-face with the exact replica of James Potter, his best friend, only with the eyes of none other than Lily Potter. At this moment the dog did something neither Harry nor Hermione had ever seen a dog do: fainted.

**Thank you for reading this chapter and don't forget to review!**

**My beta has the next chapter, so I hope I'll be able to update soon.**

**I never planned to ask questions abut the direct story here, but after asking at least 5 people and still don't having the answer I decided to do otherwise. So here is my question:**

**Should or shouldn't Hermion get pregnant? Please answer me in you reviews!**


	8. Meet the godson

**Disclaimer: Yeah, all of the Harry Potter books are mine and I live in a big mansion someplace very beautiful. In my dreams...**

**So, here is the next chapter and I hope this fast update makes up for the long wait for the previous chapter.**

**Million thanks to my beta x-Xanti-x. You are the best!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Please keep this good habit for a very, very long time.**

**Meet the godson**

Harry and Hermione levitated Sirius to the bedroom on the first floor, the same one where they first met him and used the spell Sirius and Remus used on Wormtail to change him back to his human form.

Hermione sat down onto the bed and waited patiently for Sirius to wake up. One look at her husband told her that he slipped back into his leader mode and decided to hide all emotions from his face. Hermione knew that under the mask he was just as nervous to see his godfather as she was.

'It must be really hard for him to see Sirius alive again, after 8 years,' thought Hermione and she was about to get up from the bad and go to her husband and try to comfort him but, as if reading her mind, he held up his hand, effectively stopping her from approaching him any further.

They spent a good ten minutes in utter silence, when they heard Sirius groan and he looked in his direction, right on time to see him lift his head and look away in an instant, mumbling something about hitting his head hard and loosing his sanity at last.

"I can assure you that you are completely sane and well." said Hermione, using her professional voice.

"If you are from the Ministry, then please, tell me, why am I still here? Why haven't you taken me to Azkaban yet? Or is this personal revenge?" asked Sirius, still not looking at them. "And it was a very stupid thing to try and impersonate my godson. I'm not stupid; you know and are aware of that my godson is 13."

"We are really glad that you are not stupid, Sirius. It would be quite disturbing, to tell you the truth. And no one is trying to impersonate me. I really am Harry James Potter, the son of your late best friend, James Potter, or Prongs." said Harry with his voice lacking of any emotions all the time.

"And I should believe you this? Moony could have told you all of the things. To tell you the truth, I'm really surprised that you haven't found me earlier."

"Remus never betrayed you in any way. Of course he hates you right now 'cause he thinks that you _have _betrayed him, the Potters and the little saint sodding git, Pettigrew." informed Harry his godfather, letting Sirius hear the anger in his voice.

It seemed that was the only thing Sirius needed to hear, as he quickly looked up, meeting the eyes of his godson for the first time for him at least.

"Lily's eyes…" he whispered and Hermione could see that the whole thing was getting harder and harder for Harry so she decide to talk herself instead.

"Yes, he has Lily's eyes and all. We've heard that countless times. Look, we haven't got much time, so I'll be as quick as I can. I know it is going to be very hard to believe all the things I'm going to tell you but please listen without interruption.

"We are here from the year 2004. As I've told you before he," said Hermione, nodding towards Harry, " is really your godson, even though not the one from this current time, but still the son of Lily and James Potter."

To make a long story short we arrived here on the first of September, due to a potions incident, and have been in Hogwarts since then. In our third year, when you escaped Azkaban, we, along with our other best friend and Remus, found out about you innocence and Wormtail's betrayal…"

"That little…" started the escaped prisoner, but Hermione cut him off.

"As I was saying, before you so rudely interrupted, we've been told the real happenings of the night Voldemort killed the Potters and the day you've been taken to prison and helped you escape from the dementors. These are the things you need to know in a nutshell. We came here tonight to help you catch Wormtail. That is, if you want us to help." finished the woman.

"So, let me get this straight. You _are _from the future and here to help me." He asked then started to laugh wholeheartedly. "This. Must. Be. The. Best. Bloody. Joke. I. Have. Ever. Heard. In. My. Entire. Life." Finally managed to chock out Sirius, still rolling on the floor, tears spilling from his eyes, he was laughing so hard. "Even James and me wouldn't have been able to think something so ridiculous and brilliant at the same time." continued him.

"You think that this is funny? Do you think so? Now let me tell you one thing…" started an obviously angry Harry. Sirius stopped laughing the instant he heard Harry's voice, it was so cold. Even Hermione shivered a little.

"Harry…" started the woman but didn't get to finish the sentence as Harry held his hand out the second time that night and said:

"No, Hermione. Let me finish it. "said he, allowing his voice to lose some of its coldness, just for his wife, but when he continued he still sounded as cruel and cold as the iciest as the coldest iceberg. "It was not my desire to come here and see dead friends and teachers whose death is my fault. I never wanted to be here and I still don't want to, but I have to do anything in my power to at least make my stay as useful as it can be. I came here to help you and I may have already changed everything just by coming here. If you don't want our help then we will go away and leave you on your own to eat rats and other dirty things. It's not my concern. But if you chose to let us help then you have to take us seriously and no Sirius-serious joke, please." finished Harry with a hint of humour in his voice at his last sentence, which only Hermione noticed.

"Okay. Let's say I believe you. But how do I know whether I can trust you or not?" asked Sirius.

"God, Sirius!" exclaimed Hermione "If you believe us then you should understand that your godson would never betray you."

"But do I know it for sure? I've never met either of you so there's no possible way for me to know you two. For all I know, Voldemort could be alive in the future and you two could be working for him."

"In that case we should be leaving, shouldn't we, Harry? It seems we are not wanted here. Good bye, Sirius Black. Maybe once you'll understand the huge mistake you've just made. And I wouldn't worry if I were you. No one will find out that you are hiding in here. Not from us at least."

With that the two left a stunned Sirius Black behind themselves and, just like Hermione said, in just a few minutes he is going to realise that he just refused the best offer he could ever get in his present "murderer" status.

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A few days after their encounter with Sirius Black, morning found Hermione in her bed alone. She missed Harry terribly from her side. Of course she spent most of her days with him, but that's not the same. They never did things like a normal couple should. Of course they weren't a normal couple.

Hermione never had the privilege to go out on a date with her boyfriend, to wake up next to her lover and just lay there, next to him in a complete, but comfortable, silence or just have little morning talks. But she had Harry and that made up for everything. And they will have their whole lives to make up for the lost things. Or she hoped so.

The truth was that she was afraid of the future and what would happen in it. She trusted Harry and his powers and knew that he is going to survive the Final Battle, the only question was: when? Today? The next week? The following month? Or the one after it? For all they knew it could take years, hell, even decades!

She wanted to be able to enjoy the life with Harry. She wanted the small things. Little talks at night after a tiring day of work, cuddling before the fire in silence, have children….

Yes, she wanted children. A lot of them. Of course she knew that these times were not the times a child should live in, but still. She understood that Harry was afraid of losing her and losing a child would be just as bad, if not worse. On the other hand she knew that Harry always wanted a big, loving family and would give anything for it, but he didn't want to raise a child in war times either. They never talked about having children and Hermione strongly suspected they won't either, not until the end of Voldemort and the whole war.

That was the moment she noticed that, while thinking, she unconsciously got up, had a quick shower, brushed her teeth and had gotten dressed. She was heading for the portrait hole when it suddenly opened and revealed Harry standing there.

"What would you say to a late training session?" he asked.

"A late? Harry, it's 8 o'clock in the morning. You call this late?" she asked teasingly, feeling particularly daring that day. "Don't answer. Let's go." Hermione was about to leave her room when Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her back, capturing her lips with his. He started to back until he felt the couch behind hem and collapsed onto it with Hermione sitting in his lap, kissing his neck.

He was about to take off her T-shirt, when the entrance of the room suddenly opened just to let Dumbledore in. The couple stopped their current activity, but Hermione stayed where she was as Dumbledore found them, there was no way they could explain this, so why hide something so obvious?

She turned around in the lap of her husband while Dumbledore approached them.

"Lovely morning, isn't it?" asked the headmaster smiling.

"It was, until you came in. How can I help you?" asked Hermione, clearly irritated.

"You know in some places it is considered rude to leave the guest standing while you are sitting on a comfortable looking couch." said Dumbledore.

"Yes, I have manners, thank you." said Hermione in a too sweet voice. "I'll ask once again: what do you want?"

"First of all I must tell you that I don't like the idea at all, and I still don't trust you, but Mr. Lupin requested this as he seems to, for some reason, trust you. Due to his _condition, _he couldn't come himself, so he asked me to tell you that he wants you two to take over his lessons today."

"It's full moon already?" asked Hermione while looking into Harry's eyes silently asking whether they should or shouldn't accept the offer. Harry only shrugged and mouthed: 'Anything's better than Snape.'

"If Remus wishes this then be it. We'll do it."

"In that case I would hurry as your first lesson starts in just 10 short minutes. It's third year Gryffindors and Slytherins." With that, and a wink, which was kind of strange from a man who thinks they are evil or something like that, he left the room.

"We should be much more careful if we don't want to reveal too much of the future." said Harry slowly, and then got up along with Hermione.

"Do you think it was a wise thing to accept his offer?"

"Definitely not." And with that Harry left the room too with Hermione following him.

They arrived just on time before the DADA classroom and let the stunned third years in.

"I guess we don't need to introduce ourselves. Professor Lupin does not feel well today so we are going to take his place today, but don't worry, he'll be back tomorrow. Let's see. You may put your books away. You won't need them today." started Hermione and looked at Harry who was staring back at her with questioning eyes.

"Today we are going to talk about…" continued Hermione but Harry interrupted her.

"Wait a minute. One student is late. He should be here in about 5…4…3…2…1…"

And the door suddenly swung open with the younger Harry in the doorway.

"Sorry Professor Lupin, but…" they never found out what he was about to say as he froze in mid-sentence staring at the two time travellers in the front of the classroom. "Where's Professor Lupin?" he asked suspiciously.

"He did not feel all right this morning and decided to take the day off. Now, sit down and 10 points from Gryffindor for being late." answered the older Harry with the whole class staring at him dumbstruck.

"But you know the reason for me being late!"

"Yes, I do, but you were still late. Now sit down."

Hermione waited for Harry to settle down and continued the lesson as if nothing happened.

"As I was saying before, today we are going to learn about dementors." Once again it was the class's turn to stare unbelievingly. "Now, Harry is the expert in that department, so listen to him carefully as you may learn lifesaving information."

For a long minute, Harry, the older, only stared at Hermione sending murderous looks in her direction, but eventually directed his attention to the class and the task at hand, namely teaching.

"All right. Most of you know that dementors are the guards of Azkaban and feed on happiness. That's the reason why Azkaban is so dreaded. Most of the prisoners go insane in a few weeks. No one can control them. The ministry foolishly thinks that they control the dementors. Well, that's not true as you'll see it in just a few days." at this everyone stared at him like they thought that he was crazy, expect for his wife, of course.

"The only thing that a dementor is interested in is its hunger. They'll do anything to quench their hunger and that's why they obey the ministry. If there was anyone who offered them more souls they would turn against the ministry within the blink of an eye.

"Even though they feed on happiness it's not their only "food". They can suck the soul out of every living thing and that's what you may know as the dementor's kiss. Not a pleasant thing. Just a simple example. Let's take Ron here. To a dementor, simple happiness is like for Ron eating only the amount of food Hermione, here, eats and the soul is the amount Ron usually eats. Happiness is only enough for an hour or so, after that they need to eat again.

"A dementor never takes their cloak off completely, but under it their skin is rotting and it smells like hell. The cloaks are charmed to contain that smell. The dementors are not pitiful. They do not distinguish between evil and good, it does not matter to them whether they harm an innocent or a murderer. The only thing that matters is food.

"An average dementor lives for 500 years or so. According to some legends, the first dementor was man who lost everyone dear to him until he lacked all emotions and started to use his magic to collect the happiness of others around him, until he became so desperate for happiness that he sucked the soul of his victims out and when his time came to die, he couldn't die, as he had hundreds of souls inside him. Even though he couldn't die, his body aged with him. But this is only a legend.

"Dementors affect those the most who have very bad memories. The only defence against dementors is happiness. There's a spell that can drive dementors away, but it's a hard spell and not because you need much power to cast it. No. Almost everyone can master it with practice and the right memory. The hard thing comes when you have to use it anywhere near a dementor.

"The spell feeds on happiness and you have to think of a very, very happy memory of yours. The dementor feeds on your happiness and it's awfully hard to find the power within you to think of your happiest memory when a creature tries to suck all of your happiness out.

"The indication of the spell is _Expecto patronum. _The words come from Latin and means '_I expect you, my guardian'_. The spell summons your inner guardian in the shape of an animal. With most, but not all, people the animal is their animagus form. Any questions?" asked Harry after his speech with raised eyebrows.

After a few moments of silence Hermione raised her hand and when Harry nodded to her to speak she asked:

"Have you…have you ever seen a dementor without its cloak?"

"We both had the misfortune to have a look at their rotting faces, yes." He answered indicating to his wife when he said _we _and _both_.

"Am I right in my assumption that you can do the spell?" asked another girl rather daringly.

"Yeah, I had to learn it. You know, bad memories." answered the questioned, his face darkening.

"Can you show us, please?" asked Parvati Patil, which surprised Harry the most as she never, and I mean never, talked in class. Not to the teachers at least.

Without answering Harry drew out his wand and muttered the indication. He didn't want to reveal neither his wandless abilities nor the ability to cast such a hard spell silently and wandlessly.

The usual stag erupted from his wand in its whole glory, leaving the whole room except for the husband and wife, awestruck.

"Is the stag your animagus form?" asked someone from the back row and when the older Harry looked up he met the eyes of his younger self.

"No. My father's animagus form had been a stag. That's why I have him as my patronus, even though I didn't know this at the time when I learned the spell.

"When was that? Or when will be, to be exact?" asked the ever curious 13-year-old Hermione.

"He learned the spell in his third year." answered the questioned's young wife. Everyone stared at both Harry's in awe, but fortunately the bell saved the time travellers from further questions.

**I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to review! It always makes my day.**

**I used most of the informations on te dementors from the HP books (those I remebered of) and I created some that I couldn't find in the books.**

**Have a nice weekend!**


	9. A not too merry Christmas

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story, the rest of the characters and ideas are all JKR's.**

**Okay First of all, I'd like to apologise for the way too long wait. I'm really ashamed of myself. I could look for all kinds of excuses, but I won't. I had a hard time writing this chapter, and had to rewrite it at least 3 times and to tell you the truth, I'm not too happy with the outcome, (except for the last part, which wasn't in my plans, but it's still there) but I just couldn't rewrite it once more, so this is the final version, even though while re-reading it, I did find a few gaps, but I'm just way too lazy to rewrite it again.**

**Even though I think this chapter is only a miserable excuse for a chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it at least a little bit.**

**Thanks to everyone, who read and/or reviewed the last chapter, and special thanks to my beta, x-Xanti-x, who tried to help me with this chapter and did a great job in betaing this. ****Please leave a review after finishing this chapter, and have a good time while reading it!**

**A not too merry Christmas**

The next weeks, and with them the Quidditch match, had come and gone by and as Christmas came closer and closer the whole castle started to buzz with excitement. The last Hogsmeade weekend of the year was scheduled on that Saturday.

Just like the last time Harry accompanied Hermione and Ron to the entrance of the castle and waved them goodbye, not expecting the surprise that the Weasley twins had in store for him or the one that he later would find out later in the little wizarding village…

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It was heavily snowing outside on Christmas day and even though the time travellers were very well aware of the feast going on downstairs in the Great Hall they decided to celebrate the holiday on their own way.

Christmas was the only holiday they silently agreed to leave only for each other, at least until the end of the war. That was the only day when they decided to leave everything else outside and be themselves without the weight of the war on their shoulders. They always spent Christmas Eve silently sitting before the fireplace cuddling and the next day, after opening the presents, they always visited the grave of Hermione's parents. They were killed on the 25th of December the year Harry went missing.

The only thing he regretted about that year was that he couldn't be with Hermione when and after the tragedy had happened. Later on he learned from Ron that she was very withdrawn after his disappearance and even more so after the death of her parents. She refused to eat for days and wouldn't talk to anyone for weeks.

When Harry found out about these things he swore that he would never leave Hermione alone on that day, no matter what. And so far he was successful in keeping his promise.

But this year was different, as they couldn't visit a grave that didn't even exist yet.

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The winter sun shone through the windows of Hogwarts, shimmering on the surface of the lake, waking one of the most powerful occupants of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

As Harry woke up, he pleasantly noticed the warmth of his wife next to his body and he smiled unconsciously, until he remembered what day it was.

Even though Hermione tried to hide the fact from everyone that she was still sad because of her parents' death, as she felt that there were more important things on people's mind than her sorrow, she couldn't hide the fact that she was still devastated from Harry.

Harry silently cast a simple spell on his wife, so she would stay asleep until he returned, then he apparated out of the room right into the kitchens, to prepare the breakfast that became traditional through the years on this day. As he arrived back to his bedroom, he casted the counter-spell on Hermione while, as silently as he could, he put down the tray of food that he was carrying and slid next to Hermione kissing her bare shoulder. He got up again when Hermione woke up and while she sat up he placed the tray onto her lap and they ate silently, changing occasional kisses.

"You should go down, you know." said Hermione after an hour of comfortable silence which they spent remembering Hermione's parents and all the other victims of the war that was still raging in their time.

"But…"started to protest, but his wife cut him off.

"No. I know that you want to be with me and believe me, I really appreciate it, but you don't have to. I'm fine. Really." assured Hermione her husband. "But you can do one thing for me, if you want to…" continued the woman.

"Which is…?" he asked, motioning her to continue.

"I'm sure you know what day it is. But do you remember what happened on this day exactly 11 years ago?" asked Hermione and Harry nodded.

"Of course. I got my Firebolt from Sirius and wanted to try it, but couldn't because…"

"Yes, McGonagall took it away because I had told her about it. After that, you and Ron wouldn't speak to me for a while, and then there was the whole Scrabbers ordeal. I guess I've never told this to neither of you, but I spent that day crying because I felt really bad for doing what I did, even though I did it 'cause I didn't want you to get hurt. And no, don't say anything," said Hermione, as Harry was about to open his mouth to apologise, "I can understand. Just go, and talk with her. For me. And for yourself, too. You need someone who you can talk to. You know, I'm glad we messed that potion up. We really needed this break from everything, and you may not even notice it, but you started to act like your normal self. I'm glad you did."

"I don't want to leave you alone." He said, but he knew that he was fighting for a lost cause. When his wife made her mind up there was no turning back.

"I'm a big girl! I can take care of myself for a few hours. But she, she needs you. You know, I'm not sure I've told you this before, but I loved you even back then. Please, do it for me." Her pleading eyes did it. With a sigh Harry dressed up and left the room with his wife in it in favour of the Gryffindor Tower.

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He turned into the corridor leading to the portrait of the Fat Lady just in time to see Hermione and Professor McGonagall go in.

As he told the password to the portrait and stepped into the common room, he saw himself, reluctantly giving the Firebolt to the transfiguration professor.

"There's no need for that." He said, startling every people in the room, meaning the trio and the professor.

"Please, Mr. Potter, excuse me if I don't believe you. You claim to be the older self of young Mr. Potter here, but you have no proof, and I frankly don't think you're telling the truth. Or the whole truth at least." The strict woman said.

"I'm saddened to hear that, Professor, but I can't say I don't understand your reasons. I guess it would be pointless in this case to say 'Believe me when I say that that broom is not cursed and I wouldn't want to kill myself', right?"

"Right. Now, if you all excuse me, I have a broom to take to our respected charms professor. Merry Christmas." And with that she left the room.

"See, Hermione!? I told you the broom wasn't cursed and most defiantly not sent by Sirius Black! I can't believe you told McGonagall! Shouted Ron, not noticing either the older or the younger Harry's flinch and disagreeing face. "You are only an insufferable know-it-all who sticks her nose into other people's business. Come on, Harry. Let's go." with that, he turned to the 13-year-old, expecting him to agree with him.

The older Harry knew that right then his younger self was contemplating whether to go with Ron or tell him that he wasn't right. He knew that his younger self understood why Hermione did what she did, even though he was a little angry with her, too. But Hermione didn't wait to hear Harry's answer, with a heart breaking sob she ran out of the room, leaving the two boys and the man alone.

"Ron, I didn't expect anything better from you. You did this the first time, and now you're doing it again, but you, Harry…" started the 24-year-old angrily, even though he knew that this will be the outcome even before the others" I expected more of you. You know that she only wanted to help you because she cares for you. Please, accept an advice. The next time try to hear her out, too. Don't go blindly with that git over there. He is a nice person, but his temper _is _insufferable, not Hermione. You'll learn it sooner or later. Believe me." And with that he left the room, too and decided to go to the library, the most likely place where Hermione could have gone.

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He turned out to be right, as he found Hermione somewhere in the back of the library, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably, while she sat with her back turned to Harry, only her sobbing breaking the silence of the whole place.

She jumped slightly when she felt Harry's hand on her shoulder, but after she turned around and saw Harry, she launched herself at him, clinging on him like her life depended on it, crying on his shoulders, as Harry slowly sank down onto the floor next to her, stroking her back as he whispered soothing words into her ears, patiently waiting for her to calm down a little bit.

When that happened he slowly, as not to hurt her feelings, separated her from himself.

"They will come around eventually." He said after minutes of silence.

"I do-don't care." She sobbed lightly." I don't care anymore."

"Don't say things that you know aren't true. You care. That's why the whole thing could happen in the first place. You are the best person and friend I have ever known. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. They both know, or at least I know Harry knows, that you only did it to help."

"Then why are they doing this to me!? The only thing they ever did since the first time we met was to hurt me or use me like a personal encyclopaedia. Never thanking me, never asking how I felt or anything like that. They always just hurt me." She said angrily.

"That's not true. They both value your friendship and help. Yes, this wasn't the first time they have hurt you, and this won't be the last either. But believe me when I say that I, for one, regretted every single time I hurt you. I'll admit that for a long time neither Ron nor me ever apologised for hurting you for no reason, really. Around that time, it always seems more than it is later."

"I just…I sometimes feel so useless and so…unlovable, I guess. Tell me, am I such a bad person that I can't be loved. Am I so bad that I can't have friends who love me for me and not because I help them with their homework? Am I so useless?" she sounded so desperate and sad, that Harry's heart broke into small pieces at seeing her so vulnerable.

Of course, and unfortunately, he had seen her like this too many times for his liking. He knew that she was the only one that could do this to him. The only one who could affect him this much. The only one. So he reached out and held her head under her chin, lifting it with one hand, and brushing the tears away from her face with the other and looked right into her eyes.

"You're not useless. Never were, never will. You're the most caring, the nicest and most lovable woman I have ever met and I doubt there will be anyone better than you. Hermione, you mustn't think like that about yourself. You're the reason I'm still alive, you were the one that helped me through Hogwarts, or you'll be, in this case. If it wasn't for you I would have died a long time ago. What would you say to spending the day with me and Hermione?" he asked.

"Gladly." She said and finally smiled and brushed her tears away with the sleeve of her jumper. With that said, Harry stood up and offered his hand to help Hermione up.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

The portrait shut closed behind them and Harry offered Hermione a seat and was about to go to the bedroom to tell Hermione to go back to her own bedroom, and come back through the portrait, when the bedroom door opened and the older Hermione walked outside with only one of Harry's old shirts on, currently unbuttoned, which showed her creamy white skin and her lacy black kicker and her bra, or in this case the lack of it, shocking the 13-year-old Hermione.

"Harry, have you seen my…?" but she froze halfway through her question, when she noticed her open-mouthed, gaping younger self on the couch and her husband looking at her with half desire filled, half angry eyes.

**So, this was it. I know it's not much and not good either, but still, please review!**

**I've already finished the next chapter and started the 11th, too, so hopefully you won't have to wait so much for those.**

**The first 5 chapters are finally betad, too, thanks to my awsome beta, x-Xanti-x.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. Truths and feeling in the open

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

**Okay, as I promised, here is the next chater and I hope you all will like it. There was a little confusion, that's why it's so late, even though it was finished even before I posted the pervious chapter. **

**I changed the title to Memories, not forgotten. It was the original title, but I messed up, because it was my very first post to and now I decided to change it back.**

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my two best friends, who stay by my side even though most of the time they are on the receiving end of my anger, even though they are not the ones who caused it. Thank you. Yout two are the best!**

**Oh, and special thanks to my beta, x-Xant-x for her wonderful work.**

**So, I've got nothing more to say, but to enjoy reading and leave me a review!**

**Truths and feelings in the open**

"I guess if I told you I was looking for some of my books that it wouldn't be believable, right?" said Hermione the older, while covering herself up a bit.

"Definitely not," answered Harry, as the younger child was still too shocked to say anything at all.

"Yeah, I thought so." Nodded Hermione, and turned to her younger self. "Not that I don't understand your shock or anything, but I'd be really glad if you said something. Anything." She added, when there was still no answer, not counting the constant opening and closing of the 13-year-old's mouth.

If Harry wasn't so angry with himself right then and wasn't too preoccupied with scolding himself for his own thoughtlessness, he would have burst out laughing, as it was not an everyday sight to see Hermione Granger left speechless.

Sighing, the 24-year-old Hermione set down on the couch next to her younger self and put a hand on her knee, trying to soothe her and started to talk as patiently and calmly as she could in the situation.

"I know this must be quite the shock to you, and I never intended you to find out this way. Hell, I didn't even want you to know this until you were old enough. Look, I'm not going to tell you some rubbish about this not being what it seems, because this is exactly what it seems. If you calm enough to talk, you may ask questions and we'll try to answer as truthfully as possible is this situation, but I can't promise you anything more." She said softly, not really looking forward to the upcoming conversation.

After a few minutes of a very uncomfortable silence, the still slightly shocked Hermione started to speak:

"How long…? I mean…Are you…? Oh, damn it! I don't even know what I mean. How could you…? I mean just friends…We've always been just friends, nothing more, and then you come and I find you…half naked…bedroom…out of wedlock…with Harry…black underwear…!" at the last two words the older Hermione couldn't help but laugh out loud. Her younger self didn't make much sense and that added with the views she had at 13 was just way too much for her. At her younger self's shocked expression she only said:

"Sorry, but I've just remembered how I was when I was your age, and I couldn't help it. So much has happened since then and everyone changed so much, you know?" She said and glanced at Harry, who was looking back at her with the slight sign of amusement in his eyes, which has been missing for quite some times now.

"I guess we owe you any explanation and seeing that you're not capable of coherent sentences right now, I'll tell you what I deem necessary in this situation and then you can ask questions, if you want to, but I hope you understand that I can't tell you everything in this current situation." Seeing her younger self's nod, she started the story of Harry and Hermione Potter.

She left things out of the story. The horrible things that led to their relationship, or the things that caused most of their rare arguments, or things that a 13-year-old doesn't need to know. After she finished the story, everyone in the room sat (or stood in Harry's case) in silence, until Harry broke it:

"I'm going to the Room of Requirement and don't come after me." And with that, he left, and the older Hermione knew instantly, that while listening to the story he was reminded of the things she left out and thanks to those things Harry was back to his grumpy, commander mood and most likely would stay like that for days. If they were fortunate enough.

"He'll come along. He had to suffer through too many things. It'll be all right in no time." She told more to herself than to the young girl sitting in front of her. "I have to ask you to keep the things I've told you today a secret and not to tell anyone, not even to Ron or Harry. Ron has feelings for you and Harry thinks of you just as a friend, nothing else, right now. They don't need to know about all these things. Do you have any questions? Because of you don't, then I'll go an talk to Harry…" she continued.

"Just one. Why did you marry him?" asked the young one.

"What?" stared the older Hermione dumbstruck. Of all the possible questions she definitely wasn't expecting this one.

"You heard me. Why? He is all irritable and jumpy. He acts as if he has no feeling at all and sometimes I highly doubt he does. He was nice to me this morning after the whole Firebolt ordeal, but other than this occasion he never acted nice." Explained the young Gryffindor.

"I see. You have to know, that a lot of things happened, or will happen, that changed him from the innocent boy you know to the man he is today. These changes are not necessarily good. Or bad, for that matter. I'll admit that he likes to act like he has no feelings and doesn't care. But he has feeling, buried deep down, and he cares. More than most of the people will ever know. He only tries to hide these thing from everyone. It never worked on me. When you'll have a full understanding of the things that made him be the one he is now, you'll understand what I mean.

As for your question I married him because he needed me. He still does."

"So you married him because you pity him? You don't love him at all?" asked the younger one with surprise and anger in her voice.

"No. That's not what I meant. Yes, I do love him, like a woman could love a man and even more. But he needed me above all. We lived through rough times and the only way to keep our sanity is to have friends a family around us, who help us through those times and care enough to stand by us not only in happy times, but in the sad ones, too. And unfortunately we had more of the later, than of the former. You can't really understand it now. But you will. Unfortunately you will. Now go. Please. I have to find him."

"Wait!" half shouted her younger self and jumped up from the couch she was currently sitting on. When she saw the 24-year-old turning back to her with a questioning look, she said: "I've got one more question."

"Then ask it quickly, 'cause I really got to go."

"Do you have children? You were talking about family like you have a big one." When she heard the question, the older Hermione's hands wondered onto her belly and she had a faraway, almost wishful look in her eyes, then she lost her balance for a moment and had to grab onto to desk standing next to her for support, but when he looked at her younger self her face showed nothing out of the ordinary.

"Family isn't about blood, but about feelings. No, we don't have any children, but in a sense, we have a very big family, who help us. It's not safe or fair to any child to be brought into a world of cruelty and war."

With that the 24-year left the room with her younger self by her side, whom she accompanied back to the library, as she didn't want to face Ron and Harry yet, and left her there, while she went up to the Room of Requirement and prepared herself for the argument that was sure to come.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

When she entered the room, she found destroyed dummies everywhere, 'executed' in different manners. Some of them were missing their heads, others were burnt and she even saw one that seemed to have exploded from the inside. It wasn't a pretty sight and in the middle of all the dummies there was Harry panting and sweating, but only a little bit.

Hermione tried to approach him slowly, this was alerting him of her presence, as she knew how dangerous he could be when surprised, but he seemed too distracted with destroying another dummy to notice her presence, so when she was close enough and the dummy was destroyed, he suddenly became very alert of her presence, and she had to dodge a few quite dangerous kicks and punches, till he realised that it was Hermione and not an enemy.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to leave me alone." He said, his voice void of any feelings.

" And I thought you know me better than assume that I'll leave you alone in the state of mind you must be in." she replied, but deep inside she knew that that night she most definitely will sleep in her own bed, without Harry.

"I'm perfectly all right. Now that you've seen it with your own eyes, you can go and do whatever you want." He replied and was about to turn his back to her, when she grabbed his arm and with strength she didn't know she was capable of, turned him back to her and made him look at her.

"Don't you dare turn your back to me, Harry Potter." She whispered with so much venom in her voice, that it would have scared even Harry any other day, but not that day. He was beyond that after remembering the horrors of the past seven years, beginning with the old headmaster's death.

"And just what are you going to do if I do? You're not my mother, Hermione. So stop acting like that." He said, even though he knew that his mood and the bad happening of the past was not Hermione's fault, she was the one there, and consequently he took his anger out on her.

"I'm very aware that I'm not your mother, 'cause your own mother wouldn't be able to live with your constant mood swings. You know it's bloody irritating! All you've been doing for the past seven years was pitying yourself or taking out your anger on me. Have you even thought of me!? Marriage is about understanding, loving and listening to each other! Sometimes I feel I'm the only one loving, understanding and listening to the other! Have you ever asked me in our years of marriage what I wanted!? Whether I wanted to have children someday? Or have a nice house with a big garden, a cat and four children running around, giggling with their father!? Have you, Harry Potter!? No, I don't think you did!" that was it. She was shouting and telling him things she knew weren't true.

He did care, and he did listen to her. And love her. And he understood her better than anyone else. But some things were true. She understood that their future wasn't certain and they could die any day, but that was true for everyone. Of course they had a bigger chance at dying because of the war than other people who weren't involved in the war. But she really wanted children, and that only hit her when her younger self asked her about it half an hour ago, along with the realisation that there was a possibility of her being pregnant.

Most of the symptoms fit, but she never considered the possibility of her being pregnant before, because she was sure they always used protection, but now she remembered one time, one and a half months ago, when they lost themselves in each other and all caution was thrown out of the window.

Of course she noticed that she was missing her period, but never thought about it twice, as it had happened before this, due to immense stress. But now, thinking about it, she was almost sure, that this time, it wasn't because of that reason. She had to find it out for sure later on. Until then, she didn't want to think about telling Harry, or about what would they do once they went back to their time. There was no use in panicking until she was sure.

"Than you shouldn't have married me in the first place. You knew what my situation was. I may be dead by the end of the war. And if I'm such a burden for you, then go on and leave. I won't stop you. Go, find someone who can give you your house with the children without fearing that those children would be killed only because he is their father! Find someone who cares enough!"

_Smack!_

The whole room echoed from the sound of the slap Hermione gave Harry after he finished his little speech.

She stared into his eyes for a few moments, then she turned on her heels, and stormed out of the room, not able to stop the flow of her tears, as she ran back to her rooms and slammed the door shut behind herself, as she threw herself onto her bed and cried herself to sleep.

**So this was it and I hope you all liked it.**

**I can't promise a quick update this time, even though I've already started the next chapter. I've got several reasons for this. First of all, I'm leaving for a camp in two weeks and then I'll be busy reading HD, as will most likely everyone else. And after it, I'll try to digest the book, and then I'll be discussing the last HP book with anyone who is willing to listen to me. **

**So, please, leave me a review and tell me your opinion.**

**And if anyone of you want to discuss the upcoming book with me, feel free to send me a PM.**


	11. Hard to reveal

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot.**

**Okay, here's the next chapter and I hope you all will enjoy it. I, for one can't decide whether i like it or not, yet. All I can say is that it got a little mushy in places. I don't know what came over me. I wasn't planning on it, I swear.**

**This story is now officially AU as of DH. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and I'd like to advise all of you to do so with this chapter, too.**

**Thanks to my wonderful beta-reader, x-Xanti-x.**

**Please, allow me to ramble a little bit about DH. The next paragraphs will most likely contain DH spoilers, so if you haven't read the book yet and don't want to be spoiled, then I advise you to skip right to the chapter title and start reading the chapter. And don't forget to review!**

**So, as of DH. When I was reading it I actually thought it was quite good, that is, until I went to read some forums about it. That was, when I realised just how many plot holes it has in it, even though I've noticed some of them while reading , too. I won't go into those, but I really missed some things that was said to be important, especially the love thing. I don't see how love is important in the way Voldemort was defeated. Of course I know it was something about the blood portection, but it made little sense to me.**

**I'll admit I wasn't happy with the pairings, even though I didn't really expect H/Hr to happen after HBP. I was surprised, how R/Hr was written, but I have to admit it wasn't that bad in this book, even though it still annoys me that Ron needed a book to really get to Hermione in the end. This book didn't change my opinion on H/G, though. It simply wasn't established at all and we didn't see Ginny in this book much, either. I just can't accept that pairing. I'm okay with R/Hr now, but I think I'll never be able to read or write R/Hr fics.**

**All in all, what annoys me the most about DH is that I had the 'Much ado about nothing' feeling after finishing it.**

**That's all I wanted to say. Now on to the chapter!**

**Hard to reveal**

It's been almost a week since the grand fight between Harry and Hermione, and New Year's Eve was approaching. Neither of the couple wanted to apologise, even though they knew that they were at fault, too.

They spent the past week ignoring each other, and barely talking to the other, only when it was necessary. Even the students and the staff noticed the tension between the two, but no one said a word.

It took the 13-year-old Hermione a few days to come to terms with the revelation that happened almost a week ago, but in the end she accepted it and decided that if it was their destiny, then she won't try to stop it, but won't try to urge it either.

After she couldn't find any books on pregnancy at the school library, which highly disappointed her along with her lack of knowledge, the older Hermione decided to approach Madam Pomfrey in the outmost secrecy. She wanted, no, needed to know the truth, even if it meant telling the old school nurse.

It wasn't a pleasant conversation, that's for sure, but she found out, that the reason behind the lack of books on pregnancy was so the students had to go to the current school nurse about the problem, consequently not being able to hide it if they turned out to be pregnant.

**/FLASHBACK/**

After Madam Pomfrey finished telling Hermione the story about the "missing" books on pregnancy, she looked up at her suspiciously and asked:

"And just why are you so interested in this, Miss Granger? I hope you're not here on the request of one of your old schoolmates, because if you are, then I have to ask you to reveal the name of the witch who asked you to come here. You must understand that a pregnancy is a very serious matter at the age the witch must be about."

"Yes, I understand, but I must ask you to promise me that what will be said here won't go right to the Headmaster or to anyone, for that matter. What I'm about to reveal you is very important to stay a secret as long as possible. Do you agree?" asked the young witch.

"I do understand your request, but I can't promise you anything like that if the witch we are talking about turns out to be pregnant, then at least the Headmaster and her parents must be notified. And of course her Head of House. And maybe the father of the child…"

"And what if we aren't talking about a student? If the witch we are talking about is of age and doesn't attend this or any other school?" asked Hermione, and she was sure the matron would figure out very soon what, or more exactly _who _she was talking about.

"Now, that would be a completely different case. But why would any other witch come to me with this…" the nurse trailed off, and Hermione could see the recognition in her eyes. "Miss Granger, were you talking about yourself? Do you suspect that you're pregnant?" when she saw Hermione's nod, she became furious. "Miss Granger! How could you?! I Thought you knew better than doing something like this with a boy at least six years younger than you! You are supposed to be the responsible one here!" she almost shouted.

Hermione stared at her for a few moments trying to figure out just what she was talking about, and when she realised just what the nurse thought, she sent her an utterly horrified look and said:

"My God, Madam Pomfrey! You think that? That I would…with a 17-year-old, no less? God, no! I'll admit, that I was careless when I've forgotten to use protection, but I'd never…"

"Then who's the father, Miss Granger?" asked the school nurse.

Hermione looked at the nurse with suspicious eyes, trying to decide whether to tell her the truth or leave her in the dark.

"What if I told you madam that it's none of your business?" Asked the woman in the end.

"Then I would tell you, young lady, that you came here to seek my help, and if you aren't completely honest with me, then I refuse to help you." Came the reply instantly.

"Do you realise that if I told you this, then I would break one of the primary rules of time travel, the one that says that no matter what, the future must stay hidden."

"No, I don't think you would. You only came here now to find out if you're pregnant, and if you got pregnant before you came here, then you would be bigger and you certainly would know whether you're pregnant or not. Consequently you suspect that you got pregnant in _this _time, which means, that you wouldn't reveal the future, if you told me who the father of your child is, unless…" the matron suddenly looked alarmed and thoughtful at the same time. "Unless the future Mr. Potter is the father. Am I right, Miss Granger?"

Hermione looked away from the matron's searching eyes and whispered her answer. She said it so silently, that the nurse wasn't sure the girl said anything at all, when all of a sudden she found herself staring into the intent eyes of a 24-year-old Hermione.

"You know you can't tell anyone what you heard, right? Our future would be endangered if this got out, and I'm not willing to take that risk. Remember, I'm not the young girl you know. Far from it, actually. I'll erase your memory, if I need to." Whispered the girl, her eyes never leaving the ones of the school nurse, leaving absolutely no doubt in the mind of Madam Pomfrey that Hermione would do just as she promised in the blink of an eye, if needed to.

"All right. I won't utter a word about this conversation to anyone."

"Swear." Was the answer of the 24-year-old. The old matron hesitated, but gave in the end, and sworn on her magic, that she'd never tell a soul about their conversation and the result of it willingly or without the consent of either Hermione or Harry.

After they settled everything, the school nurse draw out her wand, to perform the necessary spells to determine if the woman before her was pregnant…

**/END OF FALSHBACK/**

After aimlessly wandering the castle for hours, Hermione decided to go and sit by the lake to clean her mind and decide what to do next. As she headed for her favourite spot, she only met a few people, including a bunch of first years, who stared at hear with fear filled eyes and ran away, frightened when she looked at them.

She sighed, as she sat down under a tree and put her face into her hands, her hair falling over her shoulders, hiding her face from any by passers.

She sat there for an hour, almost unmoving, still thinking about the conversation she had with Madam Pomfrey just a few hours ago. She still couldn't believe it. She was pregnant. She was going to be a mother in a few months time.

She put her hands on her stomach, trying to imagine it growing, trying to imagine a little child, her child, growing in it. A little boy or a girl, with Harry's eyes and her mouth. The ghost of a smile appeared on her mouth, as she imagined the poor child with either her or Harry's hair. Either way, she was sure the poor thing would be cursed with an untameable hair, just like its mother and father.

The father…Harry. She knew it would be hard to tell him and that it would mean more arguments between them. She knew Harry wanted a big family more than anything, but was afraid to have one when Voldemort and his death Eaters were still on the loose. Hermione knew Harry would be upset first, but would come around eventually and she wasn't afraid because of it.

No. She was afraid because she feared that it would be too late. Their last argument really hit her hard. She knew Harry didn't mean it. Not all of it, anyway. But he hurt her really bad and she wasn't sure she could ever forget that. Yes, she could forgive Harry; she already did, but was afraid that this would leave its mark on their marriage, whatever happened later.

She was tired of all the arguments. She never admitted it to Harry, but she was glad they came back to this time, because she thought this was the last time Harry could really be like a child should be. Of course there was the treat of Sirius on his mind at that time, but he was still more carefree, then anytime after their third year. She hoped the older Harry would learn from this experience; maybe lighten up a bit, even only for the time they spent in the past. Hermione could see traces of the old, more carefree Harry in her husband again, but as soon as those moments came, they passed just as fast, leaving an even bitterer Harry behind.

She hoped that maybe, just maybe, the news of her pregnancy and them being in that time would help Harry to regain parts of his old self. She had every intention to help him on the way, no matter what the cost is.

She was about to get up from her spot, as it was freezing, when she noticed a rat hurrying towards the Forbidden Forest, almost wholly hidden by the thick snow.

Hermione quickly got up and followed the rat, alias Peter Pettigrew. She almost caught the rat, when an icy snowball hit the back of her head, temporarily distracting her from the rat. She heard a yelled apology from one of the playing students, but when she turned back to the forest, the rat was nowhere to be seen. The inside of the forest was still covered with fallen leaves, as the thick crown of the trees didn't let any snow in.

With a disappointed sigh, Hermione walked towards the castle, carefully avoiding the snowballs and other flying objects.

New Year's Eve brought even more snow and colder weather than the weeks before and everyone inside the castle was seen with a thick travelling cloak around their necks, some of them even wore a scarf, a hat or gloves or some kind of combination of them.

In the last few days, after their argument, Harry wandered the castle aimlessly, first muttering angrily, then, as his anger toned down, he was seen with strong desperation and sadness in his eyes. He didn't care anymore who saw his emotions. He missed Hermione, his wife and best friends. He knew this time he would be the one to apologise and he was willing to admit, that he was the one at fault in this argument. He knew that what he had done had hurt Hermione more than any other thing he could have said or done.

She never hit him before. That was the sign for him that he went too far this time. And how he wished he hadn't! But he couldn't turn back time. He smiled a humourless smile at this thought. He was 11 years in the past, but he couldn't go back a few days just to redo that short hour.

He knew that he really had to outdo himself in apologising. This couldn't be solved with a simple "I'm sorry" and a few kisses and hugs. This time he really had to do something meaningful and big to gain Hermione's forgiveness.

So, after some careful planning, he started to carry out his plan. He knew Hermione wouldn't spend the day in her common room and only would return there after the feast in the Great Hall, so he had almost ten hours to prepare everything he planned.

Hermione spent the whole day trying to avoid Harry, which wasn't as hard as she thought it would be, as Harry disappeared from sight for the whole day, right after breakfast.

She was avoiding him, because she decided she'd tell him about her pregnancy that day. She didn't want to wait for too long with telling him. The sooner she told him, the earlier his anger would fade.

As she was heading for the Great Hall to have dinner, a school owl flew towards her, and dropped a letter at her head, which landed on the floor in the end. She bent down to pick up the letter. When she opened the envelope, she got a huge shock, when she saw the messy handwriting of her husband.

_Hermione,_

_Please come to your common room as soon as you get this letter._

_Yours,_

_Harry_

She contemplated the extremely short letter, and decided to do what it said. She would have had to look for Harry after dinner, anyway.

When the portrait opened up before her, she got the second shock of the night, when she found the room filled with candles, covering every free surface, except for the small, circle shaped table, which was filled with some kind of food Hermione didn't recognise. As she came closer she noticed Harry standing behind the table, apparently waiting for her. As she neared the table, he pulled put the chair for her and helped her onto the chair.

When she sat down, Harry poured her champagne. They ate dinner silently, both waiting for the other to break the silence. When they were finished with dinner and both of them were still silent, Harry got up, grabbed Hermione's hand and led her towards her bedroom door. Opened it before her and let her in first, waiting for her reaction right behind her.

When they entered the room, she gasped, when she saw the rose petals levitating in the air, forming the words _I'm sorry. _

She turned away room the room with teary eyes, burying her face into Harry's chest, sobbing silently, so she didn't notice the petals falling from the air and landing softly on the bed.

Harry softly placed his hands under Hermione's chin and lifted her face, so he could meet her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, as his voice broke. Those were the first words either of them said to the other in days.

As Hermione looked into his eyes, she instantly knew he really regretted what he said, just as much as she did.

"I'm sorry, too." She whispered back.

Harry, reassured by her answer, leaned forward and captured her lips in a gentle kiss, which soon turned into one filled with passion, pent up emotions, lust, but most of all, love.

They continued to kiss, as they slowly went to the bed, undressed each other and made love, what seemed like for the first time in years.

A few hours later, as they were lying awake in each others arms, Hermione's thoughts turned back to their previous track. She knew she had to tell him, but she was even more afraid now, after they made up and were happy together, but she was sure that if she told him later, it'd be even worse, so she took a deep breath, turned towards Harry, looked into his open eyes and said:

"Harry, I'm pregnant."

**So, that was it. I hope I didn't cause much diappointment. Please leave a review and tell me what you think.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. Too much responsibility

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**Hi once again. It seems like I'm apologising for the long wait at the beggining of every chater and who am I to break that tradition? So, I'm sorry for the long wait. I can't wait for school to start so I can say I had too much schoolwork to write. I think that'll be the only pro side of school starting again. Just kidding. I don't think I'd use that kind of an excuse if it wasn't true.**

**Just like always, thanks to my wonderful beta, x-Xanti-x for her wonderful work.**

**This chapter is dedicated to SwishAndFlick31,who helped me some with the beggining of this chapter, which means Harry's reaction to Hermione's news. And I hope SwishAndFlick31's wonderful story, Even After Time will be updated soon (hint.hint, for you) I highly recommend it to everyone.**

**Now, without further ado, onto the chapter. I hope you all'll like it. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think!**

**Chapter 12**

For, what seemed like ages to Hermione, but in reality only lasted for a few seconds; Harry stared at her with wide yes, and the smile he sported before now frozen on his face. Then, he started to blink. Once, twice…

'And look, there's the third one,' thought Hermione nervously, as she watched her husband's frozen features change to shocked ones.

"Pr…Pre…Pregnant?" she heard the stammering of a clearly uncomfortable Harry. She nodded, her previous smile completely disappearing from her face. While Harry tried to digest the new piece of information, Hermione tried not to show her worry outside.

'Now I did it. He's really angry this time. How could I be so stupid? How could I forget something as important as a contraceptive charm? I knew he wasn't ready for children yet. Not in the recent circumstances at home. But no, I had to forget that tiny bit of detail I….'

She would have continued berating herself, but at that moment she heard Harry speak again and she focused all her concentration on him, hoping beyond hope to get some good reaction from him.

"A…A baby…oh, God…and you and me…" he looked at her, then pointed to himself, then to her again, his mouth opening and closing in a good imitation of a goldfish. Hermione would have laughed at the face of her spouse in a different situation, but not in this one. "I…I thought that we've…that I've… Oh, Lord…and you're…with my…me, a dad! Oh bugger!"

He quickly got up from the bed, frightening his wife, who was trying at that time to get closer to him and maybe, just maybe, hug him, in hopes of calming him down a bit.

Harry started to pace in the small room, while collecting and putting on his earlier discarded clothes, not bothered by little things like wearing his shirt inside out, or putting on his socks turned upside down, all the while muttering thing to himself Hermione couldn't make out, even though she caught words like 'baby' , 'die' and 'protect'.

"Harry, I…" started Hermione, as she jumped out of the bed, not bothering to cover herself up. What was the use of it anyway? Those shy days were long gone.

"No." he said, stepping a step away from his wife and one towards the door. "I…I just need some time alone. Yeah, a little bit of time. And space. And…Hermione, just leave me alone for a while. I…I'm not angry. I mean not really. I…really need to go and short things out…I just…" and with that, he bolted out of the room, leaving Hermione once again alone with her misery and thoughts.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

After leaving Hermione, Harry went to the place he knew Hermione wouldn't follow him to: the Forbidden Forest, to his clearing, as he liked to call it in himself. It was his sanctuary when he felt he had enough and needed to hide from the world. Hermione, of course, knew of the place, but like a silent agreement, she'd never follow him there. If he went there, it was a sign for her that he really and truly wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

But this was not the only reason why Harry knew Hermione wouldn't follow him there this time. As soon as he left Hermione in the bedroom, he knew that maybe he committed the biggest mistake of his life. He left Hermione alone, when he knew that she needed him more than anything. He knew that she didn't get pregnant on purpose, despite their last argument.

Now thinking back, he realised that Hermione must have talked about children then, because she may have suspected even then that she was pregnant.

Harry knew that he shouldn't have left her alone, but he really needed space and time. He wanted this child more than anything, that was for sure. But he was afraid for Hermione's and the baby's safety. It took Hermione long enough to convince him to take their relationship to the open and not to hide it anymore. But now, a child, his flesh and blood, was a completely different thing. He was responsible for the creation of that little being and he was also responsible for its safety, its life.

It was something totally new. Until then, he was only responsible for himself, he only had to look after himself, even though he tried to save and look after everyone he knew. Of course he was responsible for Hermione to some extent, too, but it was far from this.

This little human wasn't even born yet, but he was already its dad, and had to look after the baby, had to make important decisions that could make its life better or completely ruin it.

Was he ready for this? He didn't know, but what he did know is, that no matter what, he'd try his best to be the father this child deserved. He'd make sure to finish Voldemort once and for all so the baby could grow up in a world where he didn't need to worry about who would try to kill him next because his father was the number one enemy of Voldemort.

And what was even more important, he'd make sure Hermione survived, so the baby would have the mother it deserved. He knew Hermione would be the best mum imaginable. She'd make sure the child had everything it needed and that it'd know everything important and she would give the baby the love it deserved.

He, himself, wasn't sure he'd be able to do all those things. He knew that since he came back from his training, he'd been, to put it lightly, a not too good friend, boyfriend and husband. He admitted that more times than he cared to count he acted like a complete jackass and he really was ashamed of himself, but he couldn't help it.

Every time he felt guilty for behaving like that, he'd tell himself he only acted like that to keep everyone away from him, so they wouldn't be killed because of him. He knew that he was only kidding himself and he was aware of how much he hurt everyone around him.

When he came back from training, he was withdrawn because of the tortures of the training and lack of human contact he had throughout that year, but as time passed and he got used to being around them once again, but he stayed as reserved as he was before. It was time he stopped this and mended the relationships he had damaged through these past few years, starting with most important of them all, the relationship with his wife, Hermione Jane Granger-Potter, the most important person in his life.

With that he got up from the rock he had been sitting in all day and went towards the Great Hall, determined to make up with his wife yet again, and this time he wasn't going to botch it all up again.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

Hermione had spent practically the whole day cursing her stupidity and cursing the whole world for choosing Harry to be its hero, the one who solved the problems of everyone, except for his, for not letting him have the life he deserved, but most of all, she cursed Harry for letting the world do this to him.

She wasn't sure she wanted to go to have dinner at the Great Hall in her recent state of mind. She was determined to go to sleep without eating.

'I'll be big enough in the end of my pregnancy, anyway.' She thought. That was, when she realised, that she wasn't responsible for only her health, but for her child's too. She couldn't do things like eating as she pleased, anymore, she couldn't miss out on meals, etc.

She needed to eat regularly from then on; she had to avoid stress as much as she could, so the baby would be all right. She knew that there was a possibility that this would be the end of her marriage and not because she didn't love Harry anymore or because he didn't love her. No. If it ended, then it'd be because Harry wouldn't want his child to suffer thorough a war and she was certain he wouldn't want his child to be hated by people because he was its father.

Harry'd rather leave her, lie to her and tell her he didn't love her anymore just to get her to leave and never come back. She knew her husband well enough for that.

That's why she was currently sitting in the Great Hall (not because she was sure her marriage had arrived to its end, but because she wanted her baby to be healthy) eating in complete silence, not paying attention to anything or anyone, that is, until she heard a music play she hadn't heard in years.

It was the song she and Harry danced their first dance as man and wife after the wedding. The only dance they had that day. They were too afraid Voldemort would hear about their plans, so they only allowed that much celebration for themselves that day. Except for the wedding night, of course.

So that's why she looked up in surprise along with everyone in the Great hall, when she heard the music starting to play. She didn't know what was happening, until after she heard a student form Ravenclaw table shout and point up to the enchanted ceiling. Hermione looked up in surprise and found a message to herself.

_Hermione,_

_I've been a total idiot (understatement of the year) to you and to everyone these last eight years, but especially to you. If you're willing to give me a last chance, meet me at The Clearing after dinner. It's time you heard the whole tale._

_Harry_

_PS. Hi everyone!_

Hermione was beyond confused by the message. Yes, it was great Harry finally realised just how he acted and she hoped he'll really change, but what did he mean by the "It's time you heard the whole tale" thing? She couldn't be sure, but her brain wasn't working properly right then thanks to the emotional days that were behind her.

'And why invite me to The Clearing?' thought Hermione. That was his place. The only place he had. That was the only place she wouldn't follow him to. Of course she knew where it was, but it was an unspoken agreement between them. She'd never follow him there. If he went there he could be completely alone, not bothered by anyone.

'We have too many unspoken agreements' thought Hermione. Not going to The Clearing, never asking about his training etc. She was tired of them.

Not noticing, that all eyes in the Great Hall were on her, following all her moves, she got up, abandoning her meal, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to eat more after this, she left the Great Hall without a glance back.

She muttered a silent _Lumos _as she neared the forest, leaving the lights of the ancient castle behind.

It took her a good 30 minutes to reach The Clearing with the rock in the middle, where she knew Harry would be waiting for her. The moon shone brightly that night, so she could see every features of the clearing clearly, as she neared her husband, who was lying on the rock with his eyes closed, listening to the sounds of the forest. She was sure he knew she arrived, so she lay down next to him, waiting for him to start to speak.

"You came." He whispered, breaking the almost complete silence.

"Yes." She whispered back, turning, so she could face him. She was surprised to find emerald green eyes staring back at her. But what surprised her even more was what she saw in those eyes. Regret, guilt, pain, so much pain, but she could see love, too. Unconditional love.

"Harry, I'm sor…" she started, but he silenced her by placing his fingers onto her lips.

"Don't. You've got nothing to be sorry for. From the two of us I should be the one apologising for acting like an ass to you. You don't deserve it. That's why I asked you to come here.

I've been thinking today and realised just what I did. And that's why I decided to tell you. I don't want anymore secrets between us. You deserve to know this. I owe you with an explanation."

"Harry, you don't have to. You don't owe me anything."

"Yes, I do. That's why I decided to tell you the whole story of my training."

**So that was it, I hope you all liked it. Please, tell me your thoughts on the chapter.**

**I've got three things to ask of you, wonderful readers.**

**First of all, as you can see I had no idea for the chapter title, so if you have any good ideas, please share them with me.**

**And also, I think it's healthy if the summary of a story is changed once in a while, so if you feel up to it, please send me your suggestion in the form of a review or a PM.**

**And last, but not least, it's time to use all your sadistic little minds and think of ways to torture our dearest Harry. I'd be happy to see any suggestions for his training, as I've got no idea whatsoever. Please, keep in mind that his training was quite tormenting and pretty bad.**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing (hopefully). Please keep these good habits.**


	13. The training

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the Harry Potter universe. All JKR's. And now, thinking about it I don't own the name _Halálszárny _either. It's used by my friend in her story and I think she got it from onw or another book. So I don't own that one either.**

**So, here's the next chapter, my longest one EVER. I'm really proud of the length of it, but I'm not really sure about everything else. I refused to re-read it (I will as soon as I update it, which is about 2 minutes from now) and still refuse the re-write it. I officially decided that I'm better at romance and I think I'll never attempt any fighting scenes ever again.**

**I hope you'll find this chapter better than I do. And please review, if you feel up to it.**

**Much thank to my amazing beta, x-Xanti-x. You rock! **

**And I'm really thankful for all the reviews. Thank you guys!**

**And special thanks to those reviewers who answered one or more questions I asked in the end of the last chapter.**

**And I changed the title (again) back to _Times change. _I think by the time I'm finished with this story the title will be back to _Memories, not forgotten_. I always change my mind.**

**The Training**

Snow seemed to avoid Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry these days. The snow left from Christmas already melted leaving puddles of water on the ground, which were expected to freeze over the night.

Harry, Hermione and Ron were all in the Gryffindor common room, reading and playing chess respectively.

Hermione was a little tense those last days, Harry noticed, even though he thought it was only because of the fight they had on Christmas Day. If he knew the truth!

Hermione was trying to come to terms with her earlier discovery about her and Harry's older selves' marriage. And knowing that the two weren't talking to each other wasn't helping either. She was still angry at Harry and Ron, but especially at Ron, for what they've done a few days back, but that petty argument was far away from her mind most of the time. Every time she looked at Harry she thought about that she was supposed to marry him in a few years. The prospect of marrying Harry both scared and pleased her.

She looked across the room and her eyes found the youngest and only Weasley girl, Ginny, sitting with her fellow second years at a table in a faraway corner laughing and talking. Hermione knew about Ginny's feeling for Harry and wondered what the younger girl would say if she knew about Hermione's supposed future.

Even though Hermione was pretty sure Ginny's supposed feelings for Harry were only parts of some silly fan girl crush, she still felt bad for the young girl and hoped that she'd find the man who was perfect for her. As she jerked out of her thoughts and focused on the real world again, she found herself staring into the blazing chocolate brown eyes of Ginny Weasly.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

While she was talking to some of her friends, Ginny felt someone staring at her, so she looked up and found the best friend of Harry Potter's, the Boy-Who-Lived and Ginny's love, best friend, Hermione Granger staring at her, her eyes unfocused, apparently lost in her thoughts.

Hermione was sure no one noticed the looks she sent towards Harry Potter when she thought no one was looking. She was sure everyone thought she was only interested in Harry in a platonic way. Oh, how wrong she was! Ginny Weasley noticed every look and every touch.

She was jealous of Hermione's closeness to Harry. The little girl thought that Hermione was the only reason why the famous Harry Potter didn't pay any attention to her. Her young mind didn't understand what love really meant and she was sure her feeling for Harry were real love, so when the older selves of Harry and Hermione arrived, she was really pleased to see them always arguing or not talking to each other.

Imagine her fury, when she saw the older Harry almost kissing the older Hermione. She was sure that he would have done so, if it wasn't for the crowd in the Great hall on that Halloween night.

There were gossips in the whole school about the two time travellers. A few of them downright stupid, but there were a few that seemed well founded and most likely right. And of course there were the most ridiculed ones, like the one about the two people from the future being married and expecting a child.

Most of the inhabitants of the school thought the last one ridiculous and unbelievable, but not Ginny. She was among the few who believed in that theory and was determined to stop the marriage happening.

So she stared back at Hermione with fire in her eyes, letting the older girl know that she wouldn't give up her Harry that easily. Because he belonged to her, she was sure about it.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

Hermione Jane Granger Potter stared at her husband of two years for a few seconds after his announcement speechless. After a few minutes she found her voice and asked:

"Wha…What?" that was the only thing she could manage in her current state of shock.

"You heard me Hermione, we both know that. I want to tell you the whole story of my training without leaving out a thing. If I can't trust you with this, then who can I? I don't want anymore secrets between us. I ask you not to interrupt me, because if you did I don't think I'd have the courage to finish my story. Please know that after I'm finished I wouldn't be surprised if you decided to leave me and I'd understand it completely. I think I'd leave myself too."

"But…But Harry, I thought that you…" she stammered, still not finding the proper words to speak.

"That I told you everything?" he laughed a cold, joyless laugh "Oh no, Hermione. You don't know even half of it. I wish I did tell you, though. I don't think I'd be able to bear you leaving me now. It'd have been hard then, too, but not as hard as now, when I know what it's like to be with you."

"Harry, I won't leave you whatever you have done is in the past and…" started Hermione, placing a calming hand on the shoulder of her now sitting husband.

"Don't promise things you can't keep. Hear me out and say your verdict afterwards, not before. Promise me you won't interrupt," he pleaded, his sad emerald eyes never leaving her hazel ones.

"I promise" she whispered and kissed him on the lips, reassuring him once more, before he started his long and bloody story.

"You know how I got a letter two weeks after I arrived at Private Drive after the funeral. The letter told me to be ready by midnight and not to bring anything with myself, including my wand, except for the clothes I was wearing right then and to leave the wards of the house.

"I know it was stupid to leave the wards, and without a wand at that, but I had nothing else to do. Right then I didn't care if I died. I felt that without Dumbledore I had no chance at winning the war. So I left and didn't regret that decision. Even though I had to endure a lot through that year and my relationships with you and other close friends suffered the consequences of my year there, I never regretted my choice, as I know that I'd be dead right now if I didn't go.

"So at five to midnight I left the house and never looked back. I left the safety of the wards for the unknown. Those five minutes were the longest ones of my life, except for maybe those when I asked you to marry me and I waited for your answer.

"I was wondering what would happen, if I ever saw you lot again, if it was a trap or not. I had so many questions running through my head. I didn't have to wait long, though. As midnight arrived I was swept away to a land between the living and the dead. That's when my worst year began."

**FLASHBACK**

As soon as Harry arrived, he got a punch into his face and heard his nose breaking with a painful _crack_.

"Let this be your first lesson, kid. Always expect an attack and the unexpected wherever you go." Said a cold voice, as it delivered another punch into the stomach of Harry and as he doubled over clutching his stomach in pain, he got another blow into the head, which caused him to fall down onto his back.

Not a second later the fourth punch came, but this time he was expecting it. He barely escaped the punch, when a kick came he couldn't avoid, he did the only thing he could, crouched and received to blow into his back. He was expecting the fifth blow, which never came.

"Hurry up, kid." He heard the voice of the stranger once again. "Don't expect us to nurse you when you hurt yourself a little bit. You could have easily avoided those were you a man enough."

Harry tried to get up but his legs gave out under him, so he fell back onto the dusty board of the place still unknown to him. After the third try he could get up and slowly followed the stranger, who was leading him to a brightly lit room.

As soon as he arrived there he collapsed on the floor and he would have fallen asleep, had the stranger allowed him to do so.

"Oh no, kid. There's no time for sleeping. I'm sure you're wondering who I am or what this place is. I'm one of the _Kitaszítottak_. I'm one of those people, who were too violent and brutal for the pits of Hell to let them stay. We are the ones between the living and the dead. And this mountain is what people call _Örökké Vén_. And this is the place you're going to spent most of the following year and the place you're going to curse the rest of your life. Welcome to the Living Hell, boy."

With that said, the man tossed a book as thick as _Hogwarts: a History_ to Harry's feet.

"This is your second lesson. Don't expect anyone to help you. If you need help, help yourself 'because no one will help you. Read this book. You can find everything in here about healing. And if I were you, I'd hurry up, because your physical training starts in five hours." Said the _Kitaszított _and was about to leave when Harry called to him. He turned around and Harry got the first real chance to look at him, as in the last few minutes he didn't look at him. Didn't _dare _to look at him.

The man was tall, about two meters, but that was the only thing Harry could see, as he was covered in a thick black cloak, a hood hiding his face from view.

"But I don't have a wand." He managed to say, but regretted it almost instantly, when he heard the man's words and he imagined the smile that Harry was sure was on his lips.

"I know. Do it without your wand, then." said the man.

"But that's impossible! Wandless magic is impossible!" exclaimed Harry. 'Hermione said so' he thought, but didn't say it out loud.

"Then this Hermione person was wrong. Lesson Number Three: Impossible does not exist, only things that are harder to achieve than others." Said the cloaked figure and left without turning back leaving a stunned Harry behind him.

'How did he know that I…' he wondered, but didn't spend much time with thinking as all if his body was aching from pain. He crawled to the book, opened it and started to read through the hundreds of pages.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

Harry was sure Hermione knew who the _Kitaszítottak _were. Just one look on her horror struck face told him what he needed to know. He was sure she had a lot of questions, but he knew too, that she wouldn't interrupt him. She promised and she never broke her promises.

"I spent that night reading, but of course I couldn't finish reading in five hours and even if I did it would have been useless. I couldn't do wandless magic then, so I wouldn't have been able to heal myself anyway. Just as he promised, _Halálszárny, _that was his name, I later found out, came for me.

"In the next few weeks he tried to trigger my wandless magic, using my emotions. For children under 11, strong emotions like anger can trigger accidental magic and he tried to use the same method. He angered me, hurt me, lead me believe that my loved ones were hurt, just to get some reaction. By then, thanks to my Hogwarts education, my magic was more or less under my control, so he had a hard job, but he wasn't about to give up.

"Then he found out just who the person was I cared about enough (even if I didn't know about it then) to trigger an emotion that would make my magic go rampant."

**FLASHBACK**

Screams. Screams of everyone he ever known. They were being tortured and only because of him. Because he couldn't use that damn magic of his without a wand. This was the first time in the last six years since he found out about him being magical that he wished he'd be just a simply muggle without problems of a mad wizard trying to kill him.

He was in pain and he could barely stand. He tried to treat his first injuries in the muggle way, but he obviously wasn't an expert in the ways of muggle healing, so his attempts were almost futile. More and worse injuries followed the first ones, so even if those were healed, another would replace them.

The pain was constant and he was slowly getting used to the ache that followed his every wake moment. He could barely sleep because of the pain and the lack of sleep caught up with him in the first few days of training, the dark circles were now constant under his eyes. But even if he could sleep _Halálszárny_ wouldn't let him do so for a long time. He let him sleep fro five hours at most, but the pain woke him up if he was fortunate enough to fall asleep.

He was almost accustomed to the screams of everyone, when he heard them go silent. He looked up to see what was the cause of that sudden silence and his blood ran cold, when he saw the black hooded figure clutching Hermione in his hands, holding his finger to her temple. The three weeks spent on _Örökké Vén_ taught Harry that the people (he didn't even know if it was correct to call them people. He wasn't sure they were human at all) were proficient in wandless magic and didn't need a wand to accomplish what they wanted.

"Please Harry, help" he heard Hermione beg him, before he heard the man mutter the dreaded words and heard Hermione's screams of agony fill the air.

That was the moment, when he felt himself let go. It was like an explosion. With a scream of rage and a shouted, "let her go, you bastard!" he charged forward, not caring about the consequences or the pain he felt in he legs. He held his hands out and blasted the _Kitaszított _away from Hermione effectively ending the curse.

He didn't care that every tortured image disappeared along with Hermione. He didn't care that the Kitaszított was more powerful than him. He only wanted to avenge the pain he caused to Hermione. He successfully delivered another blow and was preparing to send Halálszárny flying again, when he felt a punch in his stomach, and was very surprised when he looked up and found his master standing right in front of him.

"See, I told you it was possible. Lesson Number Four: never fight out of anger. It's never good if you lose your head in a fight. Go back and heal your injuries. I trust you've finished reading that book by now while spending so much time awake." Said the man in an almost caring tone.

Harry was very surprised by the early dismissal, but he gratefully accepted it, but as soon as he turned his back to his master he felt another kick in his back as he fell forward to the muddy land.

"Lesson Number Five: never turn your back to anyone, be it your friend or enemy. You're free to go now." And with that he left Harry in the mud.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

By this time Hermione had tears in her eyes, but Harry didn't trust himself to hug her and try to comfort her. It was hard enough to live through these memories again and he was sure that he'd break down too, if he went any nearer to his loved wife.

"From then on, with a little training, I could use my wandless magic, so they started to train me in martial arts, but first they needed to build up my physical strength. Of course they thought the best way to do it was to have me run first five, but later on more and more kilometres in rain dressed in simple shorts and a T-Shirt or swim in the freezing water. And of course let's not forget about the push-ups and sit-ups in a storm.

"When they deemed me fit enough they started to put me against charmed fighting dummies. After a while I knew all of their tricks. That was when I started to fight against living people. _Halálszárny_ thought that I wasn't prepared enough to fight against the _Kitaszítottak_, so they sent me to the real world every night where I thought with the worst of mankind.

"In a month they couldn't provide me a challenge either, so the _Kitaszítottak_ started to train me, but I still was a too easy opponent for them."

**FLASHBACK**

"Come on boy, you can do better than that!" shouted the cloaked figure as he sent another lethal spell flying toward Harry. "Get a grip! Try to fight like the man you claim to be!"

Harry was too busy avoiding the spells flying at him to notice another person approaching him from the back with a sword in hand. Harry was fortunate, because he leapt up to avoid a spell hitting him the moment the man with the sword tried to cut him with it, but his luck lasted only for so long.

Not even 30 seconds later, he was cornered by the man with the sword a got a blow into the side as he was sidestepping a curse that was going towards him in high speed. After that, the battle was lost. He tried to send a few spells at his opponents in a vain attempt to gain some time to recover.

The battle was over not a minute later, leaving a bleeding and injured Harry on the ground.

"You lasted longer than we expected, but not nearly long enough." Said one of his masters. "You need to be able to fight with different opponent with different methods at the same time. You'll never be able to defend your loved ones and Hermione if you don't get a grip on yourself. Get up and fight!" ordered the man before striking again with the sword.

**END OF FLASHBACK.**

"According to them it took me awfully long to be able to fight and win against them. Of course time didn't matter there. In the plains of the living dead time passes slower than here on Earth. I aged like I would have here, but spent five years with them, training.

"After they decided that I was fit enough physically I had to go through a mental training, to kill off any possible weaknesses. That was when everything went wrong."

**FLASHBACK**

"Have you ever killed before, boy?" asked _Halálszárny_. When Harry shook his head no, he almost instantly realised where that conversation was going.

"But I'm not planning to do it either." He said quickly, looking straight at his master. During the time spent there he grew a lot and now stood at almost two meters.

"Oh yes, you will. How do you expect to defeat this Voldemort of yours, then? Boring him to death with speaking? You know that'd be murder, too. We've trained you to be the perfect assassin and now you're going to do just what an assassin does. Kill. Your target is this man," he said, as he conjured the 3D version of a man in his mid-fifties with grey hair and blue eyes. He was dressed elegantly and to Harry seemed to be a perfectly nice man.

"What did he do?" he asked wondering the reason why a person like his master wanted the man dead.

"Nothing." Was the simple answer to Harry's question.

"But than why…?"

"There needn't be a reason to kill someone. If you can't kill an innocent, unsuspecting man, then how do you expect to kill someone with the killers' instinct and abilities?"

"I won't kill an innocent. I simply won't," argued Harry. "I don't care what you say. I'm not going to do it."

"Yes, you will, because you do what I say you do, if you come back with him still alive, you'll regret ever being born. You've got a day."

_**1 day later**_

"So how did the mission go?" asked the cloaked figure as soon as Harry arrived back. Of course he knew that his "student" did not accomplish his task, didn't even try it, but he wanted to know whether the youth was a man enough to admit that.

"I didn't kill him. Didn't even try." Was the brave (or foolish) answer. "I told you I wouldn't kill an innocent. I was following him all day. Did you know that he had a family? With five kids, four grandchildren and one on the way? Or that he…." He couldn't finish the sentence, as he saw one of the fists of his master nearing his face, but this time, unlike others, he expected it, and ducked it.

"At least you've learned something while being here." Snarled the _Kitaszított_ in a way that reminded Harry of Snape "So you didn't kill the man. Well, it was your decision. You made it, now suffer the consequences. Let's see if you still won't be willing to kill someone after a few weeks locked with two dementors. And just so you know magic cannot be used in that room. Have fun, boy" with that he disappeared from the room leaving a terrified Harry inside.

Of course, he didn't show his fear outside. He learnt a long time ago that in the ranks of the _Kitaszítottak_ showing any emotion counted as a weakness and that was a thing that was punished just as severely. So he waited without any emotion on his face for the two dementors and the endless torture.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

Hermione stared at Harry with horror and fear in her eyes as he was telling his story, his voice and face void of any emotion.

"That was when I developed an immunity for dementors. I knew that they had a reason for choosing that punishment. You know in the first few days all I heard was your screams as you were tortured. It was horrible. I think that was what helped me to shut out the dementors after a while. I couldn't bear to hear you screaming in pain any more.

"And I believe that was when I realised just how much you meant to me. When I wasn't hearing your screams I was watching you falling from the curse of Dolohov in fifth year when we were at the Ministry."

He took a deep breath, and continued, but looked away first, as he was sure he wouldn't be able to bear the look in her eyes when he finally told her. He just couldn't bear to see the horror and the disgust in her eyes.

"I never killed him, you know. That man. But I…I did kill others. Other innocents. I didn't want another punishment like that. Hermione, it was so horrible to see you like that I just couldn't…wouldn't… So I followed the orders and killed them. I looked into their eyes and saw their fear as they were begging for their lives, as they were telling me how they didn't do anything wrong. And the worst thing was that I knew they were telling the truth. And I still killed them. Looked into their eyes and killed them.

"Hermione, they had families, children, even grandchildren and I took their father, grandfather, mother and grandmother from them. For what? Because I was afraid, too afraid to see you suffer again. I didn't want that, I just couldn't. Hermione, you have to understand that I…that I…." That was when he broke down, sobbing, covering his face in his hands

When he calmed down a little he continued:

"And this time there's no one who could tell me it's not my fault. It wasn't like it was with Sirius or Dumbledore. This time I killed them willingly and with my own hands. There wasn't even a wand in my hands. I fired off that spell with my own hands. I…oh God…" he covered his face once again, but this time Hermione came closer and hugged him to herself, letting him know that she was with him and telling him that she wouldn't leave him.

She tried to soothe him, slowly rocking their bodies back and forth, while running her fingers tenderly through his hair.

Hermione was shocked beyond belief. She never expected to hear something like that and she knew that this time Harry was right. She couldn't tell him that it wasn't his fault or that he couldn't do anything else, but she also knew, that he did regret everything he's done and that was enough for her. She was sure that she needed time to digest everything she heard, but she was also sure, that she'd never leave Harry, her Harry, either.

When he finally calmed down once again, he looked into her eyes, his emerald ones bloodshot and haunted, but she could see the love in them, too.

"I don't deserve you." Ha said and pecked her lips tenderly. "I had to go through a final test, too. It was the day before I returned to you all."

**FLASHBACK**

"So, here we are. If you survive this, then you can leave this place hopefully forever. You go through that door; you'll have to go through three rooms before you reach the last one. You got through a similar looking door in the end and you're finished." With that said Harry was left alone.

'Better get it over with' thought Harry as he walked into the first room. Where he found about 10 men dressed like Death Eaters. Harry let a small smile pass his face as the 10 attacked with their wand ready, closing in on Harry. 10 green lights went towards Harry, but he simply leapt up, thus avoiding the curses.

A few of the Death Eaters weren't so luck, as they were hit with the curses of their partners and died immediately. The six death Eaters left standing attacked at once, a few of them firing curses while the other tried to use physical force against him.

He quickly eliminated the ones using magic by a putting a simple, spell repelling _and _invisible wall to everyone but it's caster between himself and the man. One of the remaining two was killed quickly with a well places cutting charm, while the last one proved to be a little tougher, but not by much, as after a few well aimed kicks and punches Harry was able to get behind him and break his neck without much effort.

The next room proved to be even easier. There were about five dementors in the room, but Harry only laughed them off. Obviously his masters never figured out about his attained immunity to them. It took him about a minute to take all of them out.

The second to last room was the first one that made Harry stop, but only for a moment.

As soon as he stepped inside, he found Hermione inside, tied in front of the small hole that lead to the next room. Harry only smirked and tried to cut her ropes with a simple cutting charm, which, of course, didn't work.

'I should have known' he thought. As he was about to lift his hand when Hermione started to speak as if she only noticed Harry's presence then.

"Harry, what are you doing here? You came to save me, right? Harry, it's been so horrible! They kept me here for so long. They tortured me…for so long… And sometimes they'd show me to you, I know they did. And I tried to tell you, I really did, but I couldn't They wouldn't let me. Oh, Harry, I knew that you'd come eventually." She said in a very Hermione-like manner.

'_Very convincing._' Harry thought. '_They almost lead me to believe this was the real Hermione. Very clever of them. It's a pity it didn't work_.'

With that he raised his hand and started to utter the deadly curse, as he knew that no other would work. He wouldn't be able to get her out of the way without killing her.

"Avada…." He started, but was interrupted by Hermione.

"Harry, what are you doing!?" shrieked the scared sounding girl. "It's really me, Hermione, the one who was by your side every time even when Ron didn't believe you. Harry, please, you can't do this. I love you Harry, don't do this. Please." She sobbed as tears made their way down her cheeks and fear consumed her eyes.

At this, Harry lowered his hand and hesitated.

'_What if she's telling the truth and she's really Hermione. I can't kill her. I really can't_.' he thought. '_But what if it's another clever plan to get me on the wrong track. What if…_'

"Harry, I love you so much. I've always loved you. From the first moment on when I'd read about you in my books I knew that we belonged to each other, that we were soul mates." She sobbed. That was a mistake to say. Harry knew Hermione and he knew that she'd never say something like that. Maybe she had a crush on Lockhart way back in second year, but even then it wasn't more then a crush. She'd never "fall in love" with someone because he was famous. That just wasn't Hermione. He raised his hand smirking and said:

"Avada Kedavra." As the deadly cursed rushed towards the body of Hermione the girl was screaming and wiggling, trying in vain to get out of the way of the curse. As soon as the Unforgivable reached her body the room fell silent. For a few moments Harry was worried that he made the wrong decision and killed the real Hermione when the body didn't disappear as it did with the death eaters in the first room, but then he noticed the body melting away and leaving him the hole in the wall free.

As soon as he came out of the short tunnel that lead to the last room, a sword almost cut his head down. He quickly got up, but didn't have enough time to observe his attacker or his surroundings, as another attack came and this time successfully slashed through the skin of his cheek. He felt hot blood running down his face, but didn't care, or rather didn't have enough time to care, as another attack came.

He quickly sidestepped the attack and summoned his own sword. The two swords clashed together with the familiar sound of metal on metal. The two warrior pushed away each other, but neither of them lost their balance thanks to long hours of training.

Harry quickly sent an effective, but relatively harmless spell at his opponent, and taking advantage of his attacker's moment of surprise, he quickly transfigured his sword into a short knife and threw it at his opponent, successfully landing the knife in his left leg.

Harry ran forward silently and just as his opponent pulled the knife out of his thigh Harry reached him and punched him into the face, breaking his nose. By that time the attacker realised just what was happening and swiftly sidestepped Harry's next blow. With this step, he gained the upper hand in the fight, as Harry was with his back turned to him, and even though Harry realised this too, he didn't have enough time to turn around, so he got a powerful kick into back, stumbling forward.

The man in black was about to attack again, but this time Harry was prepared and as the man was about to deliver another punch he fired a spell at his opponent which would temporarily blind him.

Of course Harry knew that the other man could fight blindly almost as well as with his eyesight, he was confident about the outcome of the fight. With a few kicks and punches he got his opponent to back away, towards a corner he couldn't see. By the time he realised just what Harry was doing his back was already up to the wall and he had no time to escape. Harry silently summoned his sword which still looked like a knife, transfigured it back and without a second thought trust it into the stomach of his opponent.

The man would have died instantly if they were on Earth, but as the man was already dead, he couldn't die once again, but he admitted, when he was defeated. He let Harry take off the spell and he healed himself after Harry removed his sword from is stomach.

"It was a great fight, Harry Potter." Said the man better known as _Halálszárny_. "We taught you well. Congratulations. You've passed the exam. You may return to your family. Good luck, Harry Potter." Said the man and Harry disappeared from the land of the _Kitaszítottak_, never to return again.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

"And that's it. You know the rest." Finished Harry.

For a few moment neither of them said a word, but then Hermione broke the silence.

"Harry, I never knew…I…I don't know what to say." She finished lamely.

"Just…Hermione, please tell me you won't leave me. I don't think I'd be able to survive it. You, and now this child are the only ones it's worth living for in my life. I beg you." He said.

"Harry, I won't leave you. I told you before. I'll never leave you and I intend to keep that promise. You know how much I hate breaking my promises. I love you, nothing can change that."

Harry didn't say anything to that, only kissed his wife passionately, hugging her closer to his body, conveying all his feeling to her with that single kiss. They were blissfully unaware of the person who was listening into their conversation from the beginning. Remus Lupin.

**That was it. Please, please, please tell me what you think, even if it's something about how this story sucks.**

**Keep reading and reviewing!**


	14. Time goes by

**Disclaimer:I don't own anything.**

**So here is the next chapter. I hope you all will enjoy it. Please tell me in a review what you think of it.**

**And if you have time and feel like it please read my new story called My lover, Professor Potter**

**Thanks to my wonderful beta, x-Xanti-x for her great work.**

**Time goes by**

It took her a few days to really accept what he told her. What he's done. She promised him that she wouldn't leave him and she wasn't planning on doing it. She really wasn't. She was too much in love with him to do that. But even with all the love she felt for him it was still hard to understand just why he had killed such innocent people.

This time he could have chosen not to kill, but he still did it. Of course she understood his reasons, but that didn't mean that she thought he made the right decision. She was sure she wouldn't have done it, but it was easy to talk without actually being in that situation.

She sighed, as she out of her bed in her dorm room. Since the talk in the forest she had kept her distance from Harry. She did talk with him, had breakfast with him and researched ways to go back to their time, but she didn't sleep with him. Every night she would kiss him on the cheek and go to sleep into her own bedroom instead of his.

She could see that her actions really hurt Harry and she knew that she was doing the wrong thing and that he needed her now more than ever, but she just couldn't bring herself to kiss him on the mouth or sleep next to him.

As she dressed up and stopped in front of her mirror in her room her hands wandered to her tummy, as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was still as slim as ever, her pregnancy not showing yet. If she tried really hard, maybe she could feel a slight bump, but nothing noticeable.

Was it right to do this? Was it right to bring a child to a place and time when people lived in constant fear and danger? Where the father of said child was the main target of the war? Where the mother was also in great danger?

No, it wasn't right. But killing an innocent being wouldn't be right either. And this baby was the light at the end of the tunnel for Hermione. This baby was the thing that made her see that maybe the war would end sometime and they'd have a chance at happiness.

This situation, she thought, was much like the one Harry's parents were in when they found out about Lily's pregnancy. Even though she was sure they didn't have the problem she and Harry had, they still must have been concerned about whether it was the right thing to bring a child to such a violent time. But they did and the one year they spent with their baby must have been one of the best and happiest years of their lives. Harry was the promise to them for a future with a happy family. Hermione felt just like this about her and Harry's baby. And she was determined that they wouldn't end up like Harry's parents. They'd be there for the baby for its whole life. Both of them. And they'd provide this baby with a loving and caring family.

As Hermione looked back at her reflection in the mirror as she tried not to cry she realised just how much she needed her husband next to her.

It was time to talk to Harry.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

Harry spent the days after the night at the clearing with especially hard training and physical exercises, so he'd fall asleep quickly at night and won't think about his wife all day long.

Hermione stayed as far away from him as she could during the first two days or so. It hurt him really badly, but he also expected an even worse reaction from her, and he was reassured by her promise that she wouldn't leave him. But still, it was pure torture. He really was missing her. Missing her badly, but he left her alone, he knew that she needed some time and space just like he did when she told him about the baby.

So he went on morning runs and duelled with magical dummies. It was kind of a get-away from the reality.

About two weeks after their talk Harry was in his own common room doing some push ups and sit ups, when the portrait hiding the entrance of the room flung open and revealed Hermione standing there. Harry didn't even have enough time to register what was happening, because Hermione suddenly flung herself at him, hugging him and sobbing into his bare shoulders, while telling him how sorry she was and how much she loved him.

At first Harry was shocked, but quickly caught up and hugged her back with all his might. When they finally pulled apart from the strong embrace, they looked into each other's eyes and Harry finally kissed her pouring the pent up emotions of the last two weeks into that one kiss. It wasn't sweet and slow. It was passionate and demanding, mouths and tongues against each other and neither was about to give up. Harry was slowly getting on top of Hermione as she slowly lied down on the floor, his mouth never leaving hers, when suddenly she stopped.

As Harry went on kissing her neck, he felt her tries to push him away, so he let her do so, but never let her completely out of his arms. As they set up slowly Hermione said the thing they both were thinking for the past weeks.

"We need to talk." She said slowly and quietly, and then continued with louder with renewed confidence "And this time we really tell everything that's on our minds. I'll start, if you don't mind"

Harry nodded his consent, so she continued.

"I've been thinking a lot these two weeks and this decision was really hard to make but this has to be done. Harry, you have to understand. I love you the way you are but this can't be going on like this. This has to stop. This, we can't continue this relationship like this."

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

Remus Lupin sat in his office, correcting the homework of his students, or rather he was trying to do so, because his mind kept drifting back to the night two weeks ago when he was the witness of a conversation he should have never heard. What he heard that fateful night both shocked and amazed him at the same time.

When he decided to go after Hermione that night he never expected to hear what he did. Frankly, he didn't know what he expected but it definitely wasn't that. From the information he was able to gather Harry and Hermione were in some kind of a relationship, maybe even married and if he wasn't mistaken that they were expecting their first child.

With everything he heard he finally seemed to understand just why Harry was acting the way he was, even though he still didn't understand everything, just like the fact that Voldemort seemed to be alive in the time they came from.

Or no. Alive wasn't the good world, as Remus Lupin was among those few who believed that Voldemort did not die on that fateful night of 1981. Maybe regaining his full power would be the best expression to use.

During the last weeks Remus has been thinking about talking to the time travellers a lot, but he couldn't bring himself to do so just yet, but he felt that he should do it soon. He was thinking about it in almost all of his wake hours and it slowly but surely getting on his nerves.

Yes, it was time to pay a visit to the son of his best friend and the mentioned son's female companion.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

It was a weird day, decided Harry James Potter as he was lying naked in his bed, with his sleeping wife almost on top of him. His blood still froze when he thought back to the time when he registered just what his wife said after she started talking just that morning.

**FLASHBACK**

It took him a few seconds to really (or so he thought) get what she meant, but when he did his eyes widened and panicked thoughts went through his mind at 200 km/hour speed.

'No, no, no. She can't mean what she just said, can she? No, of course not. She promised. She wouldn't…. But what if she changed her mind? But she never broke her promises. Never. But what if…'

He wanted nothing more but leave the room that instant and never look back, but he couldn't do that. Nothing made sense. First she comes here and apologises and cries, then she tells him that they didn't work. It just didn't make any sense.

"What…" his voice broke a bit "What do you mean by that?" he finally said. Hermione stared into his eyes and she could see the utter panic in them and that's when she realised just what exactly he had said and how those words may sound to Harry.

"Oh God, Harry! No, no. You completely misunderstood me. I'd never leave you. Never. I told you that much those two weeks ago. Harry, please, look at me." She said when he turned his face away from her. When he wouldn't oblige she reached out, took his head into her hands and turned his face so he was looking straight at her.

"I. Would. Never. Leave. You. Do you understand? Never ever."

"Then why? Why did you do what you did in these past weeks? And if you didn't want to leave me then why did you say that we didn't work out? Why Hermione? Answer me this."

She would have taken a step back if she wasn't afraid that he'd take it the wrong way again. He was doing it again. His voice wasn't soft anymore, his eyes hardened.

'Oh no!' thought Hermione 'He's starting it again. He wants to shut me out.'

"Harry James Potter, don't you dare, and I mean don't you dare, shut me out again. I won't have any of it! You see what I was talking about? A relationship doesn't work that way! Look at yourself. At the first sight of trouble you try to chicken out and use a steel mask to keep people away. I had enough of our fights, but especially the aftermath of them when you'd just disappear and wouldn't come back for sometimes days. Do you realise that in less than eight months you'll be responsible for another being and you can't just leave anytime you feel like it. When you're too scared to face the consequences.

"I had enough of it. You better get your act together Harry James or you won't be happy with the results. And no, this isn't a threat. It's a promise. Do you get it, Mr.? Or do I need to tell you it once again to get it through your thick head? No? That's what I thought."

Harry was dumbstruck throughout the whole speech, he was only capable of nodding or shaking his head when needed. It didn't really register when Hermione's lips touched his or when the portrait hiding the room they were in swung open the reveal a frustrated looking Remus Lupin, whose irritated look quickly changed to one of a surprise when he saw the two kissing.

The married couple quickly sprung apart at the sound of someone coughing behind them. When they saw the source of the sound they sighed in annoyance. First he interrupted their 'mending the matters session' and he was another name on the imaginary 'Whose memory to modify before leaving from home' list.

"Well, I can't say I didn't expect this after what I heard in the forest a few nights back, but this still took me by surprise" he sad smiling as he invited himself into the room and sat down on one of the armchairs.

"You were eavesdropping on us!?" said Hermione, her indignation clear in her voice. Harry was still in some kind of a shock to form any kind of coherent sentences.

"No, I wasn't, Miss Granger. I was out in the forest at Hagrid's request. There was increased werewolf activity I the forest the past few weeks and he wanted me to get to the bottom of the problem. I was wandering in the forest when I heard someone talking, I approached the clearing and that's when I found you two there. I really didn't want to eavesdrop, but after hearing a few suspicious sentences I couldn't help it. I hope you'll understand that I only wanted to know what was going on with you two. You know just as well as I do that your appearance here caused a great uproar."

"First of all, it's Mrs. Potter and has been for a few years now." She couldn't help but smile at the look of shock on her old professor's face "So you didn't figure everything out. That's a relief, I have to tell you. And by the way, call me Hermione. I have been calling you Remus for years now, even though you don't know about that yet. And yes, I understand what you are talking about; even though, let me tell you, I'm not happy with you right now. That was a really private conversation between Harry and me. I hope you'll understand that I must ask you to keep everything you've heard that night a secret. If not for Harry, than for James' sake. Thos things cannot get out of these walls."

"I understand, but _you_ need to understand that I want answers after what I've heard. There are a lot of things I don't get and these things were driving me crazy these past days. It's not an everyday occurrence that someone has the possibility to talk to people from the future that far away." This time, however it wasn't Hermione who answered.

"You shouldn't know about the things you witnessed, not now, not in the future. I know that you must be pretty confused right now and I don't blame you. But I believe that you heard more than enough already." Said Harry's voice in a whisper.

"I don't think you need to really know more then you already do, but I'll tell you this just to clear a few things for you. And you won't remember these things anyway. Oh, please, don't look so shocked. Did you expect us to leave everyone here with so much knowledge about the future? No way. But back to the story. After my fourth year, Voldemort was resurrected. Well, not really as he never died, but that's not the point.

"Since then the whole wizarding world is in war against him and I'm the centre of the whole thing. I went away to train after my sixth year here, because without that training I wouldn't stand a chance against old Tommy boy. You heard the whole story of that training. That's all you need to know. As Hermione already told you we are married and expecting our first child."

Hermione was a bit surprised when Harry revealed that last piece of information. Fist of all she was surprised that he'd tell it to Remus (not that she didn't trust him), but she was more surprised by Harry's tone when he said child. He sounded proud and the knowledge that he was happy that they were expecting a child made her ecstatic.

"And now if you'd excuse us we have some unfinished business to attend to." Not waiting for an answer he got up and not so gently showed Remus the way out. When the portrait shut behind Remus Harry turned to Hermione with a cheeky grin and asked:

"Where were we?"

**END OF FLASHBACK**

Yes, definitely a weird day.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

Days flew by and the weeks became months and the young couple still came up with nothing useful that could take them back to their own time.

As weeks went by Hermione started to show the first visible signs of her pregnancy (and of course there were the invisible ones like her mood swings, Harry being the centre of her 'attacks' most of the time) . She had frequent appointments with the school nurse who was happy to tell the married couple that the baby was completely healthy.

Hermione decided that she didn't want to find out the gender of the baby before its birth, but Harry was way too curious and found out from the old nurse that they were expecting a healthy baby boy. He was over the moon by the news, but hid his knowledge from Hermione.

The changes were noticeable in Harry even for the students of the school. He was smiling more then he did in the last six years and his bad mood rarely made an appearance now.

They were thankful for the robes because they were perfect to hide Hermione's growing tummy, but they knew that they couldn't hid it much longer. By the arrival of April, Hermione was pretty sure that some female teachers were suspicious of her, so she tried to stay away from the public eye as much as she could, but she couldn't avoid going down to the Great Hall for meals and it was getting hotter and hotter every day even in the castle in most of the students didn't wear their usual baggy sweaters anymore and some of them looked strangely at Hermione when she always arrived in baggy jumpers and a robe that seemed two sizes bigger.

After a few days of suspicious questions and strange looks the couple decided that they couldn't prolong the unavoidable any longer. It was time to show everyone that Hermione was indeed pregnant.

After the decision was made Hermione dressed up in her tight fitting maternity clothes she conjured for herself for the times she spent in her quarters, and put on her robes. She and Harry went down for breakfast that morning purposefully a little later when they knew that everyone would be there already and they wouldn't meet a soul on their way down. Before the closed doors of the Hall Harry took Hermione's hand and gave her a little peck on the lips to reassure her and with the aid of his magic he opened the doors to the hall.

As soon as they stepped inside and their hand holding and Hermione's pregnant state registered in the minds of the occupants of the Hall dead silence fell down, while everyone was staring at the Potters as they headed for the teachers' table where they usually had their breakfast, the only sound the clattering of their shoes on the marble floor.

**This was it. Please review!**


	15. Friends

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything and frankly, after DH, I'm glad I don't.**

**Um...hello everyone! I know, I know, it's been incredibly long, over 3 months since I've last updated. It's horrible to even write it down...I'm not looking for any excuses and all I can say is that I really am horribly sorry and I hope that there are at least some of you out there who are still interested in this story.**

**As usual, I own a huge thanks to my beta, x-Xanti-x.**

**And thanks to everyone who reviewed so far!**

**I won't keep you away form this long awated (I hope) chapter anymore.**

**Please leave me a comment!**

**Friends**

It wasn't a particularly interesting day for Ronald Weasly. Going from one class to another, talking about Quiddich with his best friend, Harry Potter, listening to the nagging of his other best friend, Hermione Granger.

The school year started out hectic enough, true. The appearance of the future selves of his two best friends would shock anyone, right? Not to mention the fact that one of the most dangerous prisoners of Azkaban had escaped the said feared prison and was out to get Harry Potter. A hectic year indeed.

Contrary to common belief, Ronald Weasly wasn't stupid and suspected that there was something more to the future Harry and Hermione than they were letting on and he was almost sure that the Hermione of his time knew at least part of it. Since Christmas, after the argument, that he only called 'the broom accident' in his head, Hermione seemed to behave more strangely than before when they had an argument.

Ron noticed how she would look up at the teachers' table whenever the two people from the future would make an appearance and would observe the two like she used to do with Professor Snape in their first year when they suspected he had something to do with cursing Harry's broom and stealing the Philosopher's Stone.

Something was off with the two but for the life of him Ron couldn't figure out what it was. Yes, Ronald wasn't stupid, but he wasn't particularly clever either and right now his stomach was telling him to eat, not to think about the complicated problems that currently occupied the mind of his female best friend. _'Women are so complicated, anyway.' _He thought.

Little did he know that he'd soon find out about all those secrets the two time travellers were hiding.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

She almost, _almost _managed to forget it. Forget that she and one of her best friends were supposed to marry in a few years. After the Christmas argument she finally was talking to her boys again and couldn't be happier.

Of course there was that little problem with Professor Lupin being a werewolf, but after a long contemplation she decided to ignore that little bit of information for the time being. He was kind enough and she was almost sure that he wouldn't willingly hurt anyone. Of course from her readings Hermione could tell that werewolves couldn't control themselves when they transformed, but she also discovered that there was a modern potion that did not stop the transformation, but helped the victim to control themselves during that period.

It was a beautiful spring evening when it all came back crashing own at her. The reality of the time travellers and their supposed marriage. The last few months there were gossip concerning the two people from the future, or more like about her future self.

It was an exceptionally hot spring and most of the students were all too happy to get rid of their black robes, including herself and her friends. They were seeing the older Hermione less and less, until she only came down for dinner and would disappear immediately afterwards, not coming out of whatever place (the 14-year-old Hermione suspected her living quarters) she went away to.

Even when they saw her she was wearing some kind of a loose shirt or jumper, which was even stranger because of the warm weather. It was a mystery to everyone that would be soon solved.

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A 13-year-old Harry Potter watched his older self with great interest, wondering about the aspects of the future no 13-year-old should think about. He had to wonder what will make him so sour and seemingly unloving in the future. He wanted to know, so he could stop it happening. Of course he noticed gradual, but noticeable changes in the 24-year-old's behaviour, how he seemed even more protective of Hermione, or how he would send her a secret smile during dinner.

He wasn't dense, so therefore shouldn't have been so surprised by the happenings that transpired that beautiful spring evening.

It seemed that the whole school as together at dinner, as if arranged by fate. Everyone was chatting happily, eating the delicious food Hogwarts provided. The only ones who weren't present were the two time travellers, but Harry suspected that they wouldn't turn up either. The past few weeks it seemed that they always came down first and left as quickly as possible.

He was reaching for another helping of soup, when the doors of the Great Hall opened with great force and in walked the two aforementioned people, and Harry froze in mid-action when he took in their appearance.

The Harry from the future was wearing simple jeans and a black T-shirt, but it wasn't his clothing that was so strange. No. His hand was intertwined with the hand of a very pregnant Hermione Granger. It seemed that she worn such a tight fitting shirt on purpose.

The whole hall fell silent; the only sound was the clapping of the time travellers' shoes on the floor of the Hall, as they made their way towards the head table. Harry watched as his future self pulled out Hermione's chair and helped her sit down. When he sat down himself he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to the lips of Hermione after a changing a few words with her, then she started to pile food first on his, then her plate as well.

Harry was roughly shaken out of his stupor by the sound of a glass shattering on the floor of the Hall. He quickly turned his head towards the source of the sound and found Ginny Weasly staring open mouthed at the couple and she didn't look too happy either. Maybe he should have wondered about her reasons, but his mind rapidly went back to the scene he just witnessed and he looked at his two best friends to see there reactions.

Ron looked rather shocked and sported a look that Harry suspected he, himself had on his face, while Hermione stubbornly stared into her soup, not looking up even for a moment. That was when Harry started to suspect that she already knew something about the recent happenings. He desperately wanted to find out just what was going on, but he most like would have to wait till they finished their meal so they could find a private place to talk.

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The older Harry and Hermione watched with increasing mirth as everyone started to chat right after they sat down. Hermione was particularly amused by the face of the younger Harry. Later on she would say that it was priceless and she wished that she had a camera with her.

"If I knew that this would be such a fun I would have done this much sooner, you know," whispered Harry into her left ear, his mouth forming a slight smile.

"And the Marauder side of you lives again," said Hermione with a dramatic sigh.

"What can I say…I'm my father's son, after all."

"Yes and I can only hope that this child here won't be like you, because one of you is more than enough." She said with a smile that suggested that she was only joking.

"And here I thought that you loved me. I'm a bit delusional, it seems."

Hermione could only shake her head with a small smile on her lips as she started to pile his favourite food onto his plate, seemingly not caring about the outside world, even though she was very much aware of the fact that most of the Great Hall was staring at her and her husband.

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'_Finally,_' thought Harry as he and his two friends stood up, very aware of the eyes of the whole student body following them as they left the Great Hall. As soon as the doors of the hall closed behind them they (or more like Ron and Harry) started to talk at the same time, while they headed for the Gryffindor common room.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" exclaimed Ron. "This is a very, very bad joke, I tell you." He continued with a look of disgust on his face.

"I can't believe they managed to hide this from all of us all along!" said Harry at the same time, while Hermione remained unusually silent during the whole thing.

"Why did they hide this anyway?! They should have told us, right, Hermione? Hermione…?!" continued Harry noticing for the first time that his best girl friend hadn't said anything since the tow time travellers stepped into the Great Hall.

"Are you all right, Hermione?" asked Ron timidly. "I know this was a huge shock for all of us but…"

"I knew." whispered Hermione.

"…you shouldn't…What?!" Hermione winced at the tone her best friend used. "Yo-You knew all about this and didn't tell us? Hermione, how could you?!"

While Ron's reaction to her words were as violent as she expected from Ron, Harry didn't say a thing, simply stared into the space and when Ron finished his little tirade he looked into Hermione's eyes, but still didn't say anything.

"Well? I'm still waiting for an answer here," came Ron's annoying voice once again.

"Look, Ron," started Hermione, "Yes, I did know about them...us…them…Oh, to hell with this!" she suddenly exclaimed ad Ron looked at her, shocked. Hermione never sworn. Never. "This is just so confusing. But back to the topic. No, I didn't say anything because I promised that I wouldn't- You think that it was easy on me? I never, in a million years expected _that_."

"When did you find out about it?" whispered Harry finally, his face and voice unreadable.

"It was on Christmas Day, after our argument. I was…I was in the library and you, I mean the older you, came and find me and invited me to spend the day with him and Hermione." She paused for a bit, conveniently leaving out the part where she cried and Harry comforted her. "You know it's so strange to talk about myself like this." She stopped for a moment once again. It would have been obvious to anyone who knew Hermione that she was distressed. She never ever jumped to different topics like this while talking.

"So, I accompanied Harry back to their quarters and Hermione was nowhere to be seen. Harry was about to go and retrieve her when she…she walked out of what must have been the bedroom in a thong and a shirt that obviously belonged to a male." She blushed a bit when she told them that her older self walked out practically naked. "And she was looking for something, I believe her bra, and wanted to ask Harry about the missing piece. That's when she noticed me."

A simple 'I see' was the only thing that Harry managed to say and remained silent. Even Ron didn't have anything to say and Hermione felt like she was drowning in the tension.

"I really did want to tell you. I did, I just…I promised…" she chocked out before the tears started to stream down her face as she was releasing the tension of the past few months. She wept as her two best friends simply stared at her, not really knowing what to do. Then finally Harry carefully sat right next to her and awkwardly patted her shoulders in a manner that was obviously meant to be soothing.

"I…I'm sorry. It's just the stress, I swear. With Sirius Black trying to hunt you down and I find out on top of that that I'm supposed to marry one of my best friends and have at least one child with him. It's just…"

"Too much." Finished Harry for her. "I know," he said and sent a weak smile in her direction, which she returned. "What I don't understand," continued Harry, "is just why exactly you married that jerk that I'm supposed to become. It just doesn't make sense."

"You don't understand." She said, then smiled as she realised that she just said exactly what he did only a few seconds ago. "You…he…went through a lot of things and that's why he's like that. But haven't you noticed? These past weeks he's been completely different. Smiling more and all."

"So you're meaning to tell me that I'm some kind of a charity case? That you married me because…because you _pity _me?" he asked, anger evident in his voice as he practically spat the word 'pity' in a very Snape-like manner.

"No, of course not! I actually asked her the same thing and she said that it wasn't why she married him. She loved him. Still does, as a matter of fact." She said, trying to be reassuring.

Meanwhile Ron listened to the conversation of his best friends and after a while decided that they needed some privacy, so he left, not that either of the two noticed his absence. Both were too wrapped up in their conversation.

"So…you love me?" asked Harry finally, after a long moment of silence, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes. No. I don't know." cried Hermione. "I don't want to offend you or anything, Harry, you are a really sweet boy and all, but I'm 14! I'm not supposed to know whom I'll marry and have children with. It's just not normal! I love you, as a friend. Maybe something happens in the future that changes this. We shall see." Harry actually looked very relieved by her answer.

"Well, I guess I could live with that." He said with a smile and he stood up and offered his hand to Hermione to help her up, too.

"So friends?" she said as she let him help her up.

"The best" and with that both left for their own dormitories, anxious to have a good night's sleep.

**Thank you for reading and please don't forget to review! We have only a few more chapters to go, guys!**


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